Devil's Destiny
by Indy Croft
Summary: *COMPLETE* A drug dealing gang from Tokyo takes refuge in San Francisco, leading Jaxx and Sonya on a dangerous mission to retrieve a kidnapped child
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters from Mortal Kombat; I'm just using them for fun and games. Names that are not related to the game are my own characters, and if you wish to use them for any reason at all, please feel free, as long as no money is made off of them.  
  
Note: I apologize if the story is really slow. Right now, I'm just trying my hand at a decent plotline, and later on I'll get more into action. So for now, if you're not big on dialogue, then feel free to pass this story up.  
  
Devil's Destiny  
  
Jaxx sat at his desk, his eyes focused on the paper in front of him while his face was drawn in deep thought.  
  
"Terrific," he muttered sarcastically. He stuffed the paper into a folder, when there was a knock on the door. A woman walked in at his call.  
  
"Hey, Jaxx. You called me?" Sonya shut the door behind her and walked over to stand in front of his desk.  
  
"Yeah, have a seat. We've got a problem." Sonya sat down, and fixed her hair under her hat.  
  
"What is it?" Jaxx tossed the folder down in front of her, and she picked it up to read it.  
  
"5 years ago, a group was reported terrorizing a rundown part of Tokyo. It consisted of mostly American guys, and the group was known as the Unmei no Akuma, or Devil's Destiny. They've been classified as highly dangerous, bordering on insane in their attacks against big companies that went against the Australian Alliance. Included with the reports are photos of their targets, which were completely demolished by high-powered explosives. If the group went in, no civilian came out alive. They slaughtered anyone who got in their way. Interpol was hot on the trail of their leader, Kyoufu, but he and his group suddenly disappeared and have not been heard from for about 2 years."  
  
"So why is this being brought up now?"  
  
"About a month ago, information came out about quarterly shipments between Tokyo and Hong Kong that took place in complete secrecy. Sanosuke Mamoru, the corporate head of Mugen no Chikara power company, confessed to having allowed these engagements to take place at his docks. A week later he was murdered, found dead at home with an electrical power line shoved down his throat."  
  
"So the group got back at him."  
  
"Possibly, but there's more to it. Sanosuke had letters in his home dealing with the transactions of the Devil's Destiny, so he was most likely a part of the group. In the letters, he spoke of a sister group that was forming its own alliance to take over Hong Kong, and spread its power over to Tokyo, then Kyoto."  
  
"Who was the sister group?" Jaxx hesitated for a moment.  
  
"The Black Dragon." Sonya practically glowed with anger. "After you came back from your, ahem, 'tournament', and we killed Jarek, the Black Dragon fell apart. About a week after, there was no trace of the Devil's Destiny."  
  
"But because this Sanosuke was murdered, now it's believed the group still exists."  
  
"Yes. Now, there's another angle." Sonya's eyebrow quirked.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Inside the file is a picture of 7 year old Sanosuke Kaoru. When her father was murdered, she disappeared."  
  
"Kidnapped?"  
  
"Interpol believes she's dead, though no body has been found. I believe otherwise." Sonya flipped through the file to come across the picture of a young Japanese girl with a pretty face. Her hair was the traditional dark, straight hair, but her eyes were green, a color uncommon in Japanese heritage.  
  
"Ransom?"  
  
"That's what I thought at first, but who are they going to be demanding money from? Her father is dead."  
  
"Mother?"  
  
"Died in a train wreck in '93. No other brothers or sisters. The only other relatives are her grandparents on her father's side, who live off in the Tazawako community in northern Japan. They're poor, and are quite distressed at their missing grandchild." Sonya quickly read over her file, then closed the folder and put it on Jaxx's desk.  
  
"Ok, so there's a group that affiliated with the Black Dragon, that disappeared, apparently murdered an ex-member, and kidnapped his kid. What does all this have to do with us?"  
  
"There have been reports of an odd group of people living off in Frisco. Some stores around there have been terrorized, and undercover cops have mentioned people going around asking about the Black Dragon. I think someone's trying to get the group back together. The police can't seem to get a lead, so they sent an FBI agent in for help. He's an old friend of mine from boot camp, and he's requesting our help." Sonya stood up.  
  
"So, when do we leave?"  
  
  
  
Sonya was changing into a pair of exercise shorts and a pale blue tank top when there was a knock at her hotel door. She walked over, checked the peephole, and saw Jaxx staring patiently. After twisting the three locks on the door, she opened it and let Jaxx enter.  
  
"Hey," she said as she closed the door. "What have you got?"  
  
"Ok. We'll meet with Agent Spekly in two hours for lunch at the Waterwell. He said he has some information about a possible lead." Jaxx leaned against her bureau while Sonya seated herself on the bed to put on her sneakers.  
  
"And that lead is?"  
  
"A member who seems to be going back and forth between faithfulness to the group." Sonya clucked her tongue in disappointment.  
  
"Not very wise. They catch him, he's dead." Jaxx nodded.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. Spekly says he noticed a little girl with him." Sonya looked up.  
  
"Kaoru?" Jaxx shrugged.  
  
"Can't be sure. Said she had short blonde hair, so it could be another kid. But it's not known if he has a child."  
  
"Could be illegitimate," she said as she stood and stretched.  
  
"We'll get more details later." He watched her put a fanny pack about her waist then toss her key, some sun block, and some mace inside. "Where you goin?" Sonya reached for her headphones and hat.  
  
"Down to the docks. Spekly said the shipment should be a week or two from now, so I'm gonna check for any activity that might be related." Jaxx stood and followed her out. The door locked automatically as she shut it. "How about you?"  
  
"I made an appointment to see Detective Ise for some background checks. Maybe we'll get some more leads."  
  
"Ok," Sonya said as she fixed her hat and tuned in her small waistband radio. "I'll meet you in two hours. Be careful."  
  
"You, too." They parted, each set off in a different direction.  
  
Sonya jogged down to the ocean, the hot sun burning into her shoulders as the heat came off of the streets in waves. Tanned girls and muscular guys walked around her on the sidewalks as they headed to the beach for another day of sun and surf. A block away was the Alexia Marine Port, and at least a hundred boats were docked there. They ranged in size from little two person rowboats to yachts. Surprisingly, there were also huge tankers, which seemed quite odd coming from a little, barely known seaport.  
  
The Special Forces lieutenant slowed to a brisk walk as she reached the wooden docks, and her eyes scanned around for any suspicious characters. Though it was doubtful she'd spot any during the day, it was worth a shot. For a moment her mind drifted back to the tournament, but she shook those thoughts away. 'Focus on the job,' she scolded herself. Each boat she passed she examined carefully. They were various colors, and the white sails were bright against the rich blue and cloudless sky. 'I want a ship.' Then she noticed something. A little girl with crimped blonde hair was running about on the deck of a nearby yacht. There was a puppy with her, a beagle it looked like. The girl was squealing happily, and Sonya smiled. She turned from the sight to apologize for bumping into a young man when she heard a high-pitched scream and a small splash. Sonya's head snapped to the side to see the girl leaning over the railing of the boat and screaming at the water. Down below, the puppy paddled frantically to get to shore, but it was too small and the waves kept making it go under.  
  
"Shit," Sonya cursed softly, and ripped her radio and fanny pack off before diving into the water. Soon she was climbing onto the dock with a dripping puppy whimpering in her hands. The girl came down from her yacht, shouting wildly with joy while tears ran down her face.  
  
"Thank you, lady!" she squealed as she grasped the puppy tight against her, burying her head into its fur while nearly crushing the poor thing. Sonya laughed.  
  
"Maybe you should keep your little friend on a leash."  
  
"Oh, Ryu, you dumb pup, don't you ever scare me like that again!" Sonya chuckled again as she listened to the girl scold the puppy severely. The girl looked up to thank Sonya again, and she finally got a chance to clearly see the girl's face. She was Asian, and her eyes were a crystal green that resembled emerald. Sonya gasped. 'Oh my God, Kao-'  
  
"Tenshi! Tenshi, baby, what happened?" Sonya looked up to see an older gentleman run toward her. He, too, was Asian, and he had short gray hair and wire rimmed glasses that covered his slanted eyes.  
  
"Ojisan, Ryu fell off the ship and this lady saved him for me." The old man kneeled down and lifted the girl into his arms.  
  
"Thank you. My granddaughter just got this puppy as a present, he means a lot to her." Sonya smiled at the man, and filed this information away. 'Can't be Kaoru, she has no living relatives.'  
  
"No problem. That dog is just too cute." Sonya rubbed his ears and smiled again at the girl. "You're very lucky. Take good care of him for me, ok?" The girl nodded vigorously.  
  
"I will." She looked at her grandfather. "Can I go back in and play, Ojisan?"  
  
"In a bit. Your father's going to take us out for lunch. How does that sound?" The girl cheered. Sonya figured that everything was fine now, so she picked up her hat and headphones, then said goodbye and continued on her way.  
  
An hour later, Sonya came to rest and buy a water bottle at a nearby coke machine. Her search had been futile, with no signs of anything related to terrorists groups or planned shipments. She checked her watch for the time, and figured if she ran back to the hotel, she could shower and change before going over to meet Jaxx and Agent Spekly. Unfortunately, she miss judged her time and should up a few minutes late, but the men understood.  
  
"Have a good jog, Ms. Blade?" Agent Daniel Spekly asked while he sipped his iced tea.  
  
"Loved it, thank you. But I didn't find a damn thing. If there is any activity there, it's underground or at night. Really, the only interesting event was saving a puppy from drowning." Daniel laughed.  
  
"Sonya the savior."  
  
"I'll drink to that," Jaxx added and they clinked glasses.  
  
"Very funny. Now," Sonya cleared her throat and looked to Jaxx. "How about you? Did you come up with anything?"  
  
"Detective Ise showed me some files of local gang members who are rumored to have joined a larger group. I'd love to get them for questioning, but no one has seen them for at least a month. The smaller gangs have also become scarce, which has caused a sudden crime drop in Frisco."  
  
"The cops don't like this however. They're worried of a sudden surge in crime, which would result if a large gang, perhaps even a super gang if you will, comes to pass," Daniel cut in. A waitress swung by the table, and the three ordered their meals.  
  
"So what are our leads, Dan?" Sonya questioned as she took a sip from her coke.  
  
"A young man named Rick Balford." The FBI agent reached for his briefcase and handed them both a folder with identical information. "His criminal record is clean. No court appearances, no speeding tickets, not even any minor offenses. This guy is a saint. Except for him being caught in a drug deal. My partner, Agent Welk, was going around as an undercover druggie. He was right there when he saw the transaction take place."  
  
"You couldn't jail him for it?" Sonya asked.  
  
"Had no evidence. But we did find something interesting." Daniel reached into his briefcase again, and pulled out a photo. "Balford's appearance is hidden too much in the shadows, but not his business partner." Jaxx and Sonya moved in carefully to examine the photo.  
  
"Kano," Sonya hissed.  
  
"You're damn right. Balford was connected to the Black Dragon then, so perhaps he's the one starting it up now."  
  
"Could Balford be Kyoufu?" Sonya added.  
  
"Doubt it. Kyoufu is rumored to be a mass murder, not a businessman."  
  
"Where is Balford now, and what is he doing?" Daniel chuckled.  
  
"Right now, he's living right here in San Francisco, making some colossal movie with Harrison Ford and Dean Cain. Something like Warrior's Destiny or Dynasty, I don't remember. They were still arguing over the title. Anyway, he's getting big bucks, which could be used for these shipments." He handed Jaxx a paper, who handed it to Sonya "That's the place where the film is being made. It's heavily secured, and I can't even get in. Say they got government officials who keep the place safe, and without a warrant, I can't talk to anyone there." Jaxx looked at Sonya, and she knew what he was going to ask.  
  
"No. Absolutely not."  
  
"Come on, Sonya. It's the only way we'll get in."  
  
"Then you call him."  
  
"I'm not his type." Sonya glowered.  
  
"Call who?" Speckly cut in.  
  
"He probably wouldn't even want to help anyway," Sonya challenged Jaxx, ignoring Spekly's question.  
  
"I know he still has a soft spot for you."  
  
"Who?" Speckly tried again.  
  
"He doesn't even live here, Jaxx."  
  
"You never know, he could be visiting."  
  
"Damnit, who are you talking about?" The agent raised his voice a bit too much, and part of the restaurant turned to look at him. Jaxx answered, never taking his eyes from Sonya.  
  
"Johnny Cage." Speckly chuckled in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah right. You must be kidding. You're gonna ask for help from one of the most famous action actors alive?" Jaxx grinned.  
  
"One of the most famous actors alive and Sonya's ex-boyfriend." Sonya fist slapped the table.  
  
"He was never my boyfriend." Daniel couldn't believe his ears. "He's way too narcissistic to even consider a romantic interest." Jaxx laughed and whispered to Daniel.  
  
"She's still a bit sore from the breakup." Suddenly Jaxx grunted when she kicked him under the table. Sonya was about to reply when their food arrived.  
  
"Look," she hissed softly when the waitress left, "I'll call him and see if he can get us inside, but if you make any more cracks like that again then I'll ship you over to his door in a pink dress and blonde wig to ask him for help yourself."  
  
"You miss him, eh?" Sonya's icy glare caused Daniel to nearly choke on his food.  
  
"This is strictly business, nothing else. Now, if there's nothing else to discuss, perhaps we can enjoy this meal in peace?" The other two agreed in fear of pissing her off to the point of taking hostages. The rest of the conversation consisted of sports and old times in boot camp.  
  
Later that night, Sonya continued to pace her room in annoyance.  
  
"Idiot. You just had to agree, didn't you? 'I'm not his type,' bah," Sonya mocked in frustration as she sat on the bed. There was no getting out of this, she knew, but it didn't make it any easier. Johnny was the last person she wanted to talk to. but this was an important case.  
  
"Strictly business," she growled as she reached for the phone. She picked up the business card on her dresser, a card she had always kept with her just in case, and dialed.  
  
"Hello, Arissa Connel speaking, how may I help you?"  
  
"Good evening, this is Lieutenant Sonya Blade of the United States Special Forces. Is Mr. Cage in?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, but he's out on a movie shoot."  
  
"Does he have a number where he can be reached?"  
  
"I am not allowed to release that number, ma'am." Sonya was starting to get pissed, but somehow managed to keep her voice calm.  
  
"This has to do with an important military investigation. I need to speak with Mr. Cage as soon as possible, and if I am not given that phone number, I will have you charged with obstruction of the law for holding onto important information." There was a pause on the phone.  
  
"If I can have your number, I will call Mr. Cage up and ask for permission to get in touch with him." Sonya sighed, but figured that this was the best way to get to him.  
  
"Fine. My name is Sonya Blade. I'm currently staying at a Marriott. The number is 781-593-4000, room # 307."  
  
"Thank you." There was a click that told Sonya she disconnected. The Lieutenant decided to do some push ups to work out her sudden nervousness, and had reached 35 when the phone rang. She hesitated for a moment then picked it up.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Sonya?" She blinked.  
  
"Johnny?"  
  
"Hey!" Silence settled between them for a minute. Johnny spoke first. "My secretary said you called, so I got your number. I'm, uh, surprised to hear from you."  
  
"Johnny, where are you? You sound distant."  
  
"I'm on my cell, driving near the beach."  
  
"That's nice, but where as in what part of the world?"  
  
"San Francisco. I'm doing a shoot here." Sonya gaped. "Arissa said you had some important investigation to discuss with me. What's up?"  
  
"You're doing a shoot in Frisco? For what movie?"  
  
"A Warrior's Deception." 'Shit!' "Didn't think you'd be interested."  
  
"Johnny, can you ge-" She stopped suddenly, realizing how much her voice seemed to be pleading.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Jaxx and I are on a case that's brought us here to Frisco. And I, uh," Sonya stopped, and closed her eyes tight. 'He ain't gonna let me live this down, I know it.' "I need your help with something."  
  
"You're here? In Frisco? Huh, imagine that." There was another pause, and Sonya held her breath. 'Shit, here it comes.' "Sure. What do you need?" Sonya sighed inwardly.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?"  
  
"Well, I'm near the Syracuse Bar down on 50th and Lantana."  
  
"I'll be there in 20 minutes." Before giving him the chance to say farewell, Sonya hung up, got her shoes on, and hurried out the door. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Jaxx and I are on a case that's brought us here to Frisco. And I, uh," Sonya stopped, and closed her eyes tight. 'He ain't gonna let me live this down, I know it.' "I need your help with something."  
  
"You're here? In Frisco? Huh, imagine that." There was another pause, and Sonya held her breath. 'Shit, here it comes.' "Sure. What do you need?" Sonya sighed inwardly.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?"  
  
"Well, I'm near the Syracuse Bar down on 50th and Lantana."  
  
"I'll be there in 20 minutes." Before giving him the chance to say farewell, Sonya hung up, got her shoes on, and hurried out the door.  
  
Pound. Pound. Bang. Pound.  
  
"Ugh." More pounding. "Not now." The pounding continued. "All right, all right, I'm up!" Grumbling followed the figure that climbed out of bed and walked to the door. "Yes?"  
  
"You moron fucking dumbass bitch toe-sucking scum!" Jaxx closed his eyes and leaned against the wall as Sonya walked past him, swearing all the while. 'Who says Folgers is the best way to start your day?'  
  
"Something wrong, lieutenant?" She huffed as she sat down on the bed.  
  
"Yeah, this whole operation!" Jaxx shut the door and moved over to make a cup of coffee.  
  
"I'm listening. Oh, and did you get to talk to Johnny?" Jaxx dodged the pillow aimed at his head. "I take that as a yes."  
  
"He says the only way we can get close to Balford is by getting on the set."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"So he's offering to take me in as a stunt double."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So?! So, he wants me to go in as some dumb blonde California girl hoping to get a bit of fame!"  
  
"So?" Jaxx turned to the fuming officer and choked back a laugh. 'Oo, boy, she's pissed.' "Is there anything else?"  
  
"Jaxx, you bastard! There's no way in hell I'm acting like some blonde teenager who's got more nail polish bottles than IQ points!" Jaxx took a sip from his rich, black coffee and sighed with content.  
  
"Well, surely you're not expecting me to go undercover as a blonde model." He snickered behind his cup as Sonya sighed in exasperation and flopped back on the bed.  
  
"How the hell do I get myself into these situations?"  
  
"It's part of the job." 'Part of the job, my ass,' Sonya hissed in her mind. She closed her eyes and sighed again.  
  
"I love my job. I really do. I really love my job." Jaxx laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"So, when do you get on the set, Miss Supermodel?" Twenty minutes later, Jaxx finished applying the cool towel to his coffee burnt hands. "When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?"  
  
  
  
Sonya pulled into the twenty-foot long driveway that led up to the luxurious white beach house. Through the tall windows, Sonya could see a chandelier hanging over a long spiral staircase. The gardens were decorated with sand and seashells, aside pretty sunflowers and roses. 'Interesting combination,' she thought. The roof was a pale peach, and the windows were open, the curtains drawn, to reveal the large rooms inside. As she reached the five-car garage, Sonya slowed down and brought her motorcycle to a stop. She knocked down the kickstand and removed her helmet as she walked toward the house. She pressed the doorbell and waited patiently.  
  
"Just a sec!" Sonya tapped her foot, and a moment later, Johnny was in front of her. in only a towel. Sonya's eyes bulged for a second, but she got herself under control.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing here?" He looked relatively shocked, almost stricken, but Sonya ignored it. She pushed her way past him and glanced about the interior before focusing back on him.  
  
"All right, I need to get on the set, and if being this stunt double is the only way, then so be it. I need more information though-"  
  
"Uh, Sonya, could we discuss this outside maybe?" Johnny cut in nervously.  
  
"-Need you to keep an eye on Balford for me. Now I know what you're gonna say, like you did last night-"  
  
"Sonya."  
  
"-But I've have my suspicions about him and whether he's your friend or not, he still must be watched closely."  
  
"That's all well and good but-"  
  
"There's one more thing I want to make clear," Sonya continued, obviously oblivious to Johnny's pleas to get a word in edge wise. "This is strictly business, Cage, so if we end up working together on the set, make sure you remember that. There will be no more relationships between us, is that understood?" But Johnny was no longer looking at Sonya. Instead, he was staring over her shoulder. "What?" Sonya turned, and her heart flopped to her stomach.  
  
"Who is this, honey?" Sonya stared at the 5'9 raven-haired blue-eyed beauty dressed only in a silk bathrobe before her. Her hair was straight and thick and fell about her shoulders in a graceful mess. She was darkly tanned, and it looked well with her hair. Thin but strong, Sonya could tell she worked out and from her confident posture, probably knew self- defense, or some type of martial arts. The woman also spoke with an accent that hinted her background to be Australian.  
  
"Nise, uh," Johnny stuttered for a moment but in a moment seemed to get his voice back. "Nise, this is Sonya Blade. She's an old friend of mine. Sonya, I'd like you to meet Nise Kalon, my girlfriend." Nise stepped forward and held out her hand.  
  
"Soon to be fiancé, I hope." She smiled widely at Johnny, and Sonya felt a slight tinge creeping into her cheeks as she numbly shook the other woman's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Blade. John here has spoken of you before, about a tournament you two competed in. He's complimented your fighting skills quite often."  
  
"Yes, well I'm glad he can give credit where credit is due," Sonya answered confidently.  
  
"He said you lived over in DC, though. So what brings you here? On vacation?"  
  
"No, ma'am, I'm working on a case. Johnny has offered to help me out." Nise smiled and moved to wrap her arms around her lover.  
  
"Yes, well, John has become very compassionate for others, so it doesn't surprise me." As she smiled at Sonya, the lieutenant could almost detect a hint of coldness in her voice. a harsh glint in her eyes that didn't match her smile. "But, you two are probably discussing something important, so I'll leave you to your work. John," she turned his head toward her as she spoke. "Denise and I are going out shopping today and I'm going to get my hair done for that grand yacht party at Mickey's tonight. So, if you're back late from your shoot." She trailed off and pulled him into a sweet but hard kiss that lasted for a moment. When she pulled away, her eyes shifted to Sonya, and the fighter clenched her fists behind her back at the mocking glance she received. "Have a good day at work, John. Miss Blade." She nodded and turned to quickly dart up the stairs.  
  
Johnny watched his lady run up, and bowed his head. Sonya realized he seemed hesitant to look at her.  
  
"I'll leave a note with the director about you. Have him call you in today. All you need to do is run a few obstacles and you'll be in." Sonya noticed he was blushing.  
  
"She's nice, Johnny. You two go well together."  
  
"I'll see you on the set," he replied, and Sonya watched him for a moment before he led her to the door. She walked outside and listened to the door close behind her. There was something so final in that simple action, and Sonya was overwhelmed with the urge to break something. Instead, she got on her bike and took Paradise Lane next to the beach, reaching 120 MPH to get out her anger.  
  
Two hours later, she pulled into the hotel parking lot and went up to her room where she took a long hot shower. When she came out her phone was ringing.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Sonya, hey. I've been trying to reach you for the past hour."  
  
"Oh, hi, Johnny. Yeah, I was out riding. What do you want?" Sonya winced at her tone, and tried to soften it. 'Knock if off, bitch, you have no reason to be so pissed. except at the way the whore flaunted over hi-'  
  
"I talked to the director, he wants to see you." Sonya's heart froze for a moment.  
  
"Did you tell him my name?" she asked in a panic.  
  
"No, I told him I had run into you at the beach, and I forgot." She sighed. "Figured you didn't want to use your actual name, and you'd make one up."  
  
"Good, cause that's exactly what I'm doing. How do I meet him?"  
  
"Get some paper and a pen, and I'll give you the address." Hurriedly, she copied down the directions.  
  
"Ok, great, thanks Johnny. Do me a favor, call him up and let'im know I'm on my way over to meet him. And the name is Maeve Freso. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Sonya, uh, listen. about earlier."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Johnny. I'll talk with you later." She hung up as he tried to get her attention. Honestly, she didn't want to talk about earlier. It just hurt too much. She growled and hit a pillow. 'And it's not supposed to hurt.' Over to the closet she walked and she changed into some comfortable street clothes to meet Mr. Horner.  
  
Sonya parked her bike and walked toward the small office building surrounded by trailers as people involved with the set hurried about carrying camera equipment, lights, food, makeup kits, and other things she couldn't name. Out of one office she saw a beautiful blonde woman storm away, her face twisted in anger and dirty words passing her mouth with every step she took. Funny, she looked really familiar. Sonya shrugged, approached the door marked Mr. James Horner and knocked.  
  
"Come on in!" Sonya entered and found herself to be standing on what looked like the only clean spot in the place. Papers were scattered all over the floor. Coffee mugs lay strewn about the furniture. Overgrowing plants covered the windowsills and the desk was one huge mound of blue prints, scripts, and what appeared to be weeks old Chinese food, with a dash of Thai and McDonalds splashed in for color. Sonya's eyebrow quirked at the little bald man ruffling through the mess, searching for something that must have been of great importance, judging by the concerned frown of his chubby face.  
  
"Uh, hello?" Sonya didn't know what to do, so just stood stupidly as crumbled up papers, napkins, and Big Mac boxes flew past her.  
  
"Um, I'll be with you in just a sec. I just have to find my-ah ha! Got it!" Out from under some typed documents came a.  
  
"A yo-yo?" Sonya was actually beginning to get worried that her IQ points were already dropping from just standing in the same room as this guy.  
  
"Yeah, it brings me good luck and helps me relieve stress. So," he turned to her with a valiant sigh and let the yoyo fall from his fingers. Sonya groaned to herself as she watched it light up and play 'Jingle Bells.' "What can I-" He stopped as he gasped.  
  
"What?" Sonya turned behind her to see what he was staring at.  
  
"Oh my, God. You're perfect!" Sonya blushed at his sudden compliment.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Be in my movie." Sonya's eyes widened.  
  
"Well, actually, that's what I came to talk with you about. I heard you were hiring stunt doubles, and I-"  
  
"Are you the girl Cage sent?" Sonya nodded. "Forget stunts! How would you like to be the main star?" Sonya blinked and stood dumbly for a minute.  
  
"I-I'm sorry- Excuse me?" The director laughed and came over to shake her hand.  
  
"My lead female, Sandra Hess, she just walked out because she need more time to be with her husband and she just can't get away from the set. I was frantic because we need her, but you. you'll be perfect. I can have you starting tomorrow." He turned away from her and looked rapidly about the room for a script.  
  
"Wait, you don't even know my name!"  
  
"Maeve, was it? Beautiful. I'll pay you 2.7 million to work for me." Slack jawed and bug eyed, Sonya could say nothing as a script was thrust into her hands, and she was lead outside.  
  
"Hey, Mark! Get Miss Maeve her a security clearance pass onto the set. She'll be taking Hess' place in the movie!" He turned back to the speechless lieutenant. "All right, you study some of those lines tonight, and we'll start filming tomorrow. You said you were interested in being a stunt double, now you are your own stunt double, ok? Great. Have a look around the set, and I'll see you tomorrow. Then, you'll get to meet your co-workers. Oh, thank God you're here!" Suddenly, the director turned away and ran. no, wait, skipped back to his office like a leprechaun who just found his pot of gold. Sonya looked at the heavy script in her hands, and realized just how much trouble she'd gotten herself into. 'Something tells me this is gonna be one helluva case.' 


	3. Chapter 3

Sonya looked at the heavy script in her hands, and realized just how much trouble she'd gotten herself into. 'Something tells me this is gonna be one helluva case.'  
  
"I told you, once you're in, you stay in. You can just turn your back on the Federation and walk out! This is your life duty!" the older but still well toned gentleman shouted from his desk. His hair was a dark brown that fell around his face in thick strands. Blue green eyes flashed with anger, and his small mouth and full pale lips were twisted in rage. He would have been considered handsome if not for the age lines peaking from around his eyes. The younger private, who was also handsome with well trimmed dirty blonde hair and crisp blue eyes, stood unfazed.  
  
"Your federation has been playing me since day one. It's nothing but a conspiracy to deny the truth that you are planning on poisoning the entire district to make some kind of superhuman clone for every person alive to play your foot soldiers in a war that's never going to end!"  
  
"You rat bastard-"  
  
"Forgive me, sir, for my freedom of speech, but I'm gone, and as far as I'm concerned, you, your fag lackeys," he pointed to the young servicemen around him who stood motionless and silent, "and your entire corporation can go fuck a porcupine!" With that, the handsome colonel turned sharply on his heel, walked out of the office, and slammed the door behind him with a satisfying BANG.  
  
"Cut!" A siren blared and people began hurrying about the place, fixing sets and touching up makeup. "Perfect scene, thank God, now we can move onto the elevator." Johnny sighed with relief and pulled off his military jacket. Behind him came the older gentleman he argued with, and as a wide smile crossed his face, he slapped the action actor on the back hard.  
  
"Thank God that's over with. Now maybe we can actually get into some fighting instead of all this oral bureaucratic horse shit." Johnny laughed.  
  
"You're damn right, Rick." Johnny looked at his best friend and co-worker as they walked over to the table for a cup of coffee. "I'm so sick of all this talk talk talk. I want to get into some action. That's what this movie is about, man!"  
  
"Relax, Carlton, things will move along." Johnny groaned.  
  
"Don't call me that, I hate that name," he whined. Rick laughed heartily.  
  
"You should do more parts as a five year old, you whine so well." Johnny tossed a fake punch at his head, and Rick ducked, turned, and put Johnny in a headlock. The actor struggled a bit. "Oh, I can't believe I just got you so good. Come on, Johnny Carlton, I thought you were better than that!"  
  
"Yeah, so did I." Johnny's eyes shifted at the sound of a woman's voice, and his face went frigid as he saw Sonya standing with her arms crossed and her eyebrow pointed up in a sarcastic look.  
  
"Well, well, hello there, Miss." Rick let John go and practically pushed him to the floor as he moved to shake the beautiful woman's hand.  
  
"Hello," she said shortly, but her tone hinted at sweetness.  
  
"Hello, she says. Allow me to introduce myself." He pulled her hand to his lips and briefly kissed the knuckle of her middle finger. "Richard Balford, at your service, my lady." Suddenly, a young boy cut in, his hair and clothes appearing as frazzled as his words.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Balford. This is Maeve Freso, she's our new leading lady."  
  
"What?!" Rick and Johnny both yelped. Sonya jumped a bit, but released a dazzling smile that showed of pride and confidence.  
  
"Yes," the stage hand answered. "Mrs. Hess quit to be with her husband, some type of personal matters mind you, so when Miss Freso walked into Mr. Horner's office, BAM! Sparks flew and now she's here to play Lalina," he finished happily. Both men could tell the boy was quite taken with her. Anyway, Rick was quite thrilled that this beautiful new actress was to be working with them. Johnny. on the other hand.  
  
"All right, people, let's go!" the director shouted into his megaphone. "Cage and the new chick, we need you at the elevator scene now!" Sonya's jaw clenched. 'New chick?' She felt herself being tugged away by the stagehand.  
  
"That means you, Miss Freso. Let's get you into makeup and you can glance over your lines." Sonya shrugged and let herself be taken to another set. Johnny followed silently. Next to him, Rick whistled softly.  
  
"Oh, what a sweetie she is. I wonder if she's single." Rick looked sideways at Johnny, who stopped and glared at him. "What?" he asked innocently. Then he cracked a smile and began to stride ahead of him. "Ohhh, I get it. You like her too, eh? But you're taken." Balford glanced over his shoulder. "Pity." He guffawed as he walked to his trailer. Johnny shook his head and walked toward stage 32 for the next scene.  
  
The phone rang a couple times before someone picked up on the other end.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"She's here. Starts working today, apparently. Doing the elevator scene in twenty minutes or so. Want me to get rid of her?"  
  
"No. I want her harmed, but not killed. That's my territory. Get a message to her. Make it clear that she's not wanted here."  
  
"Right."  
  
Sonya groaned inwardly as the petite redhead fussed with her hair. Again. It was really beginning to piss her off.  
  
"So, anyway, how do you feel knowing you gonna be in a big production?" Her thick New York accent and nasal tones were giving Sonya headache.  
  
"Ecstatic," she said monotone. The hairdresser looked at her funny, then burst into a hysterical fit of laughter.  
  
"Oh my GAHD, you're so funny. I love it when people can do that, you know, that thing with their face, you know? When they can make a joke and be deadly serious? Oh, you're so good at that!" Sonya groaned again. 'If she keeps this up, I'm gonna take hostages.'  
  
"All right, let go! Maeve, my darling, go ahead up to the top story. You know how this scene works, right?" the director spit in her face in his frenzied state. Sonya's face scrunched up, and she delicately wiped the small drops of saliva from her cheek.  
  
"Yeah. Johnny and I talk, we get chased by an extermination squad, we jump into the elevator, the shoot at the wires, and we 'fall' the 60 feet to the bottom."  
  
"Right. Got your lines?"  
  
"I hope."  
  
"Terrific!" The director ran off to get the camera in place, and Sonya began her climb up the six stories to the top platform. Johnny was pacing above.  
  
"I can't believe you're doing this," he hissed at her when the stage crew finished checking for safety and took a crane back down.  
  
"I'm just doing my job, Cage." She smirked suddenly. "Thanks for getting me in." She turned away from his deadly glare. Ten feet away, hovering at the same level on another crane, was Horner and some camera guy.  
  
"All right, you two, you ready? I only want to do this elevator scene once, so get it right!" Johnny and Sonya nodded then faced each other.  
  
"Ready for the movie business, Miss Freso?"  
  
"Lights! Camera! Action!" The two fighters walked down the hallway, Sonya closest to the camera, and obviously steamed.  
  
"I can't believe you blew him off. Are you nuts? He's gonna send people after you, you do realize that, right?"  
  
"I can take care of them."  
  
"This is not the time for arrogant pride, dumbass. These are serious people, and their damn good." They stopped at the elevator. Johnny gave her a heart-stopping smile as he pressed the button.  
  
"I only tell it like it is." Three stunt men in black outfits and helmets ran toward them with fake guns.  
  
"There he is! Aim to kill!" one shouted. Sonya shouted at them to stop, but her voice was cut off by multiple snaps overhead, followed by a loud metallic creaking.  
  
"What the he-" Johnny muttered when there was a terrible groan and the elevator suddenly dropped. Johnny and Sonya jumped back and watched as the large car flew past them with wires wiping around above it. Sonya stared as two cords got caught on the platform and pulled it down.  
  
"Shit!" The metal landing tilted up causing Sonya and Johnny to slip and begin falling. Johnny was able to grab a pipe near him and swing off the grate. Sonya followed suit and reached for one of the bars holding the platform up. In a moment, it was gone, crashing with an echoing screech as it hit the bottom with the now crushed elevator. Sonya breathed heavily and closed her eyes for a second before finding a place to settle her feet. Creak. Sonya looked up. Creeak. The metal pipe she was hanging from was bending. Her eyes went wide and she quickly looked for a place to move when the metal collapsed on itself and snapped off. 'No!'  
  
She fell. 


	4. Chapter 4

Her eyes went wide and she quickly looked for a place to move when the metal collapsed on itself and snapped off. 'No!'  
  
She fell.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Everything about her blurred in colors of gray and black, and she watched with curiosity as the ceiling was pulled farther and farther away. No cry escaped her lips. Only the sound of air whooshing past her was present, and she closed her eyes while she welcomed the peace that this freefall granted her.  
  
Something heavy. Something seemed to grab her. There was a snap, and Sonya opened her eyes to see Johnny looking at her. She was thrust upward, her head whipped back, and then she was swaying. The wall of the platform came closer. There was a burst of white pain that burned in her skull. Things began to blacken at the corner of her eyes.  
  
"I've got her! Sonya. Shit. Pull me up!" She felt a pain around her waist. too tight. Somewhere in the distance, people were yelling.  
  
"John-"  
  
"Sonya, wake up. Come on, wake up, I need you to hold onto me." 'Fight back.' Shaking away her dizziness, Sonya moved her arms and laced them around Johnny's neck. Her breathing became easier as his grip loosened around her ribs  
  
"What are you now, Superman?" Johnny chuckled.  
  
"Safety line. All good stunt men keep one with them."  
  
"So why didn't I get one?" Sonya groaned as they were jerked up another foot and her stomach just wasn't appreciating it.  
  
"I think everyone was so impressed by your good looks, they forgot to remind you." Sonya smiled as her vision began to blur again. She was feeling lightheaded, and her thoughts became muddled.  
  
"Is that why you forgot, too?"  
  
"Johnny! Is Maeve all right?!" Horner shouted from above.  
  
"She's conscious, but she's got a pretty bad head wound!"  
  
"Ok, we got a medic waiting!" Sonya began to giggle.  
  
"Oooo, a medic. That sounds nice." Johnny stared at her like she'd lost her mind.  
  
"Sonya? You ok there?" Her head began to fall back as her eyes slid shut. Johnny could fell her arms become loose, and he shook her a bit. "Sonya. Sonya!" Her head tilted to the side, and she peeked at him through one partly open eye.  
  
"Make sure to call me Maeve when we get up there," she whispered, pretty close to sounding drunk. "If you blow my cover, I'll kick your ass."  
  
"Your threat has been noted, now stay awake." She giggled and put her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Johnny, my head really hurts." Then they were at the top. Four people helped Sonya onto the floor of the scaffolding while a medical examiner checked for broken bones and bandaged her head where she struck the wall. Johnny watched a foot away.  
  
"David, Josh! What the fuck was that about?! I hired you to make sure these sets are safe!! My leads were almost killed!! What the hell happened?!" Horner was screaming at the top of his lungs at the two men who cowered before him.  
  
"We checked the cables, Mr. Horner. We checked everything, we swear! Everything was in place, we have no idea what caused the car to fall!" Johnny noted the argument and looked up to the top of the shaft. Above him, he could see the pulleys that held the wires. A few cords hung limply and swung a bit. They were frayed at the ends, not severed cleanly as he expected. Slowly, after checking his safety line, he began to climb up the side of the shaft. Horner noticed and nearly had a coronary.  
  
"CAGE! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE NOW BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF!" Johnny kept climbing.  
  
"Quit screaming like that before you give yourself a heart attack! Relax, I know what I'm doing." Johnny reached the top and looked over to the pulleys. He pulled at the cord and it slid off easily.  
  
"Aw, shit." The ends were not only frayed, but they were blackened, like they were burnt. Sabotage. Johnny's eyes shifted to Sonya who was slowly climbing down the platform. "She's gonna be thrilled to hear about this," he muttered sarcastically.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Johnny knocked on the door, fixed his sunglasses, and fingered the cord hanging from his hand.  
  
"Who is it?" He grinned.  
  
"Superman." A moment passed before Johnny heard a click and the trailer door opened part way. Sonya's blonde and bandaged head peeked out, looked around, and moved so he could enter.  
  
"I told you, I'm fine. I don't need a bodyguard!" Johnny paused as he entered and shook his head.  
  
"I didn't say you did! Damn, I'm not even in the door and I'm getting yelled at." Sonya glared at him as he shut the door.  
  
"Not you," she replied, her voice tinting on annoyance. She pointed to the phone at her ear. "Jaxx, there was an accident. I'm perfectly fine, and I doubt it'll happen again." Johnny waved at her and pointed to the frayed cable wire he was holding.  
  
"Don't be so sure." Sonya stared for a moment then reached for the cord.  
  
"Jaxx, I'll call you back." She hung up and looked at the cable. "Oh, terrific." She delicately fingered the ends. "Blow torch. So it wasn't an accident." She sighed and sat down on the edge of her small table. "Shit. Someone's onto me." Her eyes pierced his, and he actually resisted the urge to shudder.  
  
"What?" She didn't answer. "What?! Quit looking at me like that, all right! It's your first fucking day, for cryin' out loud, who could I have possibly told so quickly who you actually were and why you were here? And why would I do that anyway? I'm part of the good guys, or did your bump on the head cause you to forget that I was the one who saved your white ass back there?" Sonya rolled her eyes and pressed her fingers into her temples.  
  
"Shit, I'm sorry. Goddamn, anything for an excuse." Johnny's shoulders drooped slightly.  
  
"Ah, forget it. I can understand why you'd be so upset-" A rough pounding interrupted him.  
  
"Knock, knock! Mind if I barge in?" Balford came strolling through the door. Sonya groaned inwardly at his quick but undeniably lustful smile with which he greeted her.  
  
"Oh, hey Rick. Come on in," Johnny spoke as he waved his arm at a seat.  
  
"Thanks. How ya doing there, Maeve? That's a pretty rough fall you took back there."  
  
"Uh, fine, thanks. I'll be all right."  
  
"Yeah, Maeve here seems to be tough as an ox," Johnny chuckled as he put in his own two cents; Sonya glared.  
  
"Well great! Glad you'll be all right. Johnny, guess what I just heard?" Sonya was a bit put off by his abruptness at dismissing her, especially after his rapid attention when they first met. Johnny, too, noticed this.  
  
"Uh-"  
  
"The deal went through! Wendel and Martin Docking Arena is now under Balford Shipping Incorporated." Johnny laughed and patted him on the back before shaking his hand.  
  
"All right, Rick! Congratulations! How long had that deal been giving you a problem?" Rick laughed.  
  
"Back since Sudden Death 2 was in the making. Man, I'm almost there, buddy!" Sonya watched curiously as the two chatted, the wheels in her head already turning at the light of new evidence.  
  
"Rick?" she asked sweetly. "If it's not too much of a bother, what ever are you talking about? You're into boats?" He stared at her for a moment before answering.  
  
"Yes, very much so. But I'm also buying the ports for movie locations. It's very important to me to have these places available for any sudden ideas I or my fellow scriptwriters come up with." Sonya nodded, feigning interest.  
  
"Really? Well, I do enjoy a good outing to sea once in a while. Would it be too much trouble for you to show me about your new properties?" Sonya put on her sexiest smile in hopes of convincing him that she was actually interested. He laughed.  
  
"Why, my dear, it would be an honor to take you on the guided tour." Rick's hair lit up in the slanting sunlight as he stooped before her to kiss her hand once again. "Perhaps I can take you for lunch on my yacht that same day. The waves are to be quite beautiful this weekend, if you're free of course." Chocolate brown eyes that sizzled with a dangerous tinge pulled a shiver from Sonya's body.  
  
"Um, I'll have to see," Sonya choked out through hesitant breaths as she pulled her hand away. There was something about this man. something that really bothered her. Something that was not right. He smirked, his eyes mocking her like he knew something she didn't.  
  
"Very well." In a swift movement, a card hovered before her. "Call me when you get a chance. I'll plan around you, as I'm sure you're well worth the effort." Sonya shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Well," he suddenly burst with a sigh and punched Johnny in the arm playfully. "We still up for that game of pool tonight?" The two chatted for a few more minutes about times and places before Balford made a graceful exit. Sonya stood up and reached for her bike helmet.  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
"Yeah. Taking this," she held up the frayed cable wire, "down to Spekly. Could be used for evidence later." Johnny nodded. "I should be back within an hour."  
  
"Don't bother. Horner cancelled the rest of today's filming. He insists it's for your benefit, but I think the accident bothered him."  
  
"Great. Then I'll hit the gym and train for a while. Do me a favor, and see if you can get some more info on this docking business when you're with Balford. See if he slips up in his story anywhere. And watch your back." Johnny gave a smart salute.  
  
"Sir, yes, sir! I mean Ma'am!" Sonya fought the urge to slap him. Instead, she rolled her eyes and walked out. Ten minutes later, she was on her bike and speeding toward the city police station.  
  
"Ha! Eyah! Huph!" Punch, kick, double punch, back fist, split, twist, handstand, roll, snap kick. Sonya's huffing breaths echoed in the nearly empty weight room, and she jogged in place a few times before leaping into a sidekick and landing with a solid smack into the punching bag. It swayed, and when it came back, she kicked again, and again. She switched to punches, and back to kicks, until her lungs burned and her muscles ached for rest. Sighing, she reached for her towel and dabbed at her soaked head while she sipped some water.  
  
"Oh, that was nice." Turning on her heel, she waved goodnight to three women who were walking out of the gym, picked up her small gym bag, and marched to the showers. It was silent in the small room. Silent and empty, and cold. She shivered. Carelessly she threw her bag into a locker and pulled her sweat-drenched clothes from her toned body. She shivered again, but this time, it wasn't from the cold. Something just felt wrong.  
  
"Hello?" Her voice echoed back to her. She shook her head. Nerves. Full- length towels were stacked on a shelf nearby, and one slipped off as she yanked it while she walked to the nearest stall. Placing the white cloth on the wall hook, she turned on the water and let it's therapeutic heat relax her rigid body. She soaped and shampooed, and stepped out a few moments later feeling refreshed. When she was dressed, she stepped before the mirror and combed at her damp locks, growling in frustration when she got caught on a few tangles. Then the tile on the wall next to her exploded as the crack of a gun echoed in the room. She tossed herself to the side and rolled into a stall. Rapid footsteps slapped the floor. Immediately, she was on her feet and chasing after the person who attempted to kill her with her bag barely in her hand.  
  
All the way outside into the blackening night she ran, and came to the parking lot. Down the street was the figure of a cloaked man, so she jumped onto her bike, revved the engine and tore out of the parking lot. It didn't take long to spot him turning the corner into an alleyway. 'Gotcha.' She turned sharply and grinned in anticipation of her arrest. Without warning, she was tossed over her bike when something caught the front tire and forced it to stop abruptly. In a moment, she was skidding across the cement. Dizzy and dazed with a terrible burning sensation along her back, Sonya could barely detect three forms gathering around her.  
  
"We got a message for you, bitch." A heavy foot jammed into her ribs causing her to gasp and roll on her side. "Drop the case, or we cut you open and hang you by your intestines."  
  
"And which case might that be?" Sonya coughed out. "The one about the girl, the one about the drug group." She lifted herself up on her hands, rolled back into a handstand, and threw herself into a back hand spring making her feet come in contact with the man's jaw before landing in a defense pose. "Or the one about the three stupid fucks who thought they could overcome me?" The man she hit lay sprawled across some garbage bags, holding his broken jaw.  
  
"Gep 'er!" he commanded. The other two attacked, and Sonya grinned wickedly as she sized up the opposition. The one on the left was tall and lanky, while the other was a bit shorter, but wider across. Neither seemed terribly dangerous. The short one threw a punch at her, which she easily blocked. Another punch was thrown, and she ducked before countering with a low uppercut into his stomach. He hunched over, and Sonya's eyes widened as the tall one flew over his companion's back with a flying sidekick that connected right with her chest. A grunt escaped her as she toppled, and suddenly there were fists and feet everywhere. She couldn't block, and her blood was flowing feely onto the sidewalk.  
  
"Fuck!" she hissed, her anger boiling over. The men were laughing as they beat down on her, until she found the strength to twist herself around and sweep them. They landed hard on their backs while she nimbly rose to her feet, jumped in the air, spun, and thrust her right leg out, landing it square in the chest of the third who had risen to join the battle. He stumbled, recovered, and lunged. Sonya spun, using her forearms as a wall that rammed into his back. His momentum and her added weight caused him to crash into the building head first, and he crumbled, a thin trail of blood oozing down the wall. A cry sounded behind her, and she turned to seize the tall man's outstretched arm with her right hand while her left grabbed his shirt and she flipped him over her. From the side she spotted the heavier one also running at her. Turning to face him, she let him run into her, but she linked her arms around his waist and bent herself backwards, carrying him with her, and smashing his skull into the cement. A splatter of blood painted the building, and he didn't move again. She pushed herself up and quickly blocked the roundhouse kick aimed for her head by the one who shot at her in the shower room. For countless minutes, they sparred, blocking here, gaining there, until he caught her with an elbow jab to her eye. She stumbled back, groaning as blood gushed from her split eyebrow. The man gave a sharp attack cry, spun in two circles as he shifted from foot to foot while preparing to unleash a mighty spinning sidekick to her already bruised ribs. As his foot stretched toward her, she sidestepped, lifted her knee in the air, and jammed her elbow down onto his ankle, crushing it between her elbow and knee.  
  
"Agh!" He jumped back on one foot, his facing contorting in pain, before it met the sidewalk when she ran up to him and threw an uppercut into his already damaged jaw. Moaning in pain, he struggled to get up, but Sonya knocked him out with an axe kick. Looking around, she noticed all three lying still on the cement walkway, the blood still dripping from their various cuts. In a moment, she was on the phone with Jaxx, reporting her location.  
  
"Yeah, I've got three of them down. No, I'm fine. They have to be part of the gang, and someone knows who I a-" Sonya lost her voice when the world spun and she was on her back. Her head turned, and she watched the tall attacker slinking away down the street. "SHIT!" Quickly, she rose and gave chase, unconsciously hanging up the phone while abandoning her gym back and now damaged bike. 


	5. Chapter 5

Sonya's throat burned with rawness and her lungs were swollen in her chest, but she continued to chase after her assailant. He ran in between buildings and even cut through a woman's house, but Sonya's persistence never let him go. Even when she knocked over the coffee table and kicked the pretty white cat named Anya as she ran through the kitchen. She barely had time to apologize before she was dodging cars in the middle of a busy highway.  
  
"Goddamn it, will you fucking stop already?!" Another sharp turn to the left, and soon she ran to a dead end. Her attacker was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Fuck!" She yelled as she kicked at trashcans nearby. "God fucking damn it!" Sonya steamed and stalked out of the alleyway, when something caught her attention. A part of the wall seemed at a wrong angle. Almost sticking itself out of the wall, it appeared. On closer inspection, she realized it was a door of some kind. She pushed against it, and it moved roughly across a dirt surface. Bewildered, but thrilled at the lead, Sonya pushed harder against the door. Pulling out her flashlight, she found ahead of her a long, dark corridor. There was a glimmer of light at the end, and Sonya could barely hear the sounds of heavy breathing and faint footsteps.  
  
"Gotcha." She moved down the passageway silently to find herself at another door a few moments later. Voices spoke quietly on the other side.  
  
"I know I lost her, there's no way she could have found this place."  
  
"You better be sure, Inko, or I'll have your head." Sonya frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't be sure. It was too muddled through the thick wall. "Did you find anything useful?"  
  
"Not really, but this Maeve Freso is most certainly not a local actress come out of the blue. Her moves are familiar to me; I've seen them before. in the Marines, I think. Or at least some military branch."  
  
"You think she's working undercover?"  
  
"Definitely, so it'd be wise to watch your back. Now that I've done your work, how about doing mine. I want my money. Now." He suddenly grunted, and his voice began to squeak ever so slightly.  
  
"You are in no position to order me around, you piece of shit punk." There was the sound of feet hitting the floor and a low coughing. "But I should give credit where credit is due. Oh, before that, have I introduced you to my brother?"  
  
"Hey, what's he doi-" An echoing gunshot cut him off.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"That information was useless, we already knew that."  
  
"I know, that's why I had you terminate his services. Now, I suggest we get back to the yacht; your daughter will be getting worried." A few chuckles faded away, and Sonya pushed the door. It opened swiftly and silently, and she looked at the body on the floor, pooled in blood. 'Stupid bastard.' Sonya watched two shadows fading down the hall, and she moved to follow them. They led her to a parking lot outside of an old abandoned factory. When they weren't looking, Sonya moved behind a pickup truck that was nearby, and rolled under. The two mystery characters were discussing something, but she couldn't be sure. Then they were walking toward her, opened the car doors, and got inside. 'Shit!' Quickly reaching up to two small bars that would provide close enough support to handholds, Sonya lifted herself off the ground, and drove her heels into the muffler to keep herself off the ground. In a moment, they pulled away.  
  
Sonya lost track of time as they drove, concentrating only on keeping herself under the car. Soon, her muscles began to ache, and she broke out in a sweat. Then they stopped. Sonya held her breath as the engine died, and the doors opened. She watched two pairs of footsteps walk away a few feet and stop. Softly, she lowered herself to the pavement and rolled out to the opposite side of where the men were standing. Quickly observing her location, she found herself to be at the Marina. 'Of course, dumbass, where else would they have a yacht?' In the moonlight, Sonya could only detect dancing shadows moving across the men's features, but she made sure to stay behind them at a short, safe distance. Their next stop, by foot, was at yacht 57, where a huge white boat with the words 'Dragon Cruiser' written in block letters was in port. It looked really familiar to her. When they went onto the deck, she followed, stopped under the windows of the kitchen cabin, and listened.  
  
"Chi-chi! Ojisan!" a little girl shouted happily.  
  
"Tenchi! Have you been good today?" A deep voice laced with age asked.  
  
"Hai, ichinichiju."  
  
"Practice your English, Kaoru-chan." Sonya's heart leapt to her throat. Oh my God!  
  
"Yes, I was good all day."  
  
"Wonderful. Now, I have a surprise for you!" This voice was younger, and held a Japanese accent.  
  
"Oh, what, chi-chi?"  
  
"Remember when I told you about that very special vault that has a big present for you?" Vault? Her dowry.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Well, we're going to go and open that vault tonight, so in a couple of hours you'll get to have a very big, and very early, birthday present."  
  
"YEAH!" Oh, no you don't.  
  
"Ok. I need you to go and get changed into your best outfit, and then we'll go to McDonalds for dinner, and then you can open up your present. Now, go change, quick quick!"  
  
"Yeah!" The little girl's cheerful voice faded, and only the two men remained.  
  
"All right," the older voice spoke again. "Go contact the others. Tell them to meet us there in 45 minutes. And make sure they have everything."  
  
"No shit. You gonna set up the truck?"  
  
"Yeah. 60 minutes from now, we'll be rich. 120 minutes later, that brat'll be dead. And 24 hours from now, we'll be the most powerful bastards alive." The two laughed heartily before splitting up. Sonya watched one, apparently the older guy, walk out and leave the ship. Sonya peeked inside to see the other's back to her. He was on the phone. Now, she thought to herself. Quietly opening the door, she slipped inside, raised her semi-automatic above her head, and quickly smashed it into his skull as he hung up. He grunted, fell, and lay still. Not knowing how much time she had left, she ran through the narrow hallway and heard a little girl singing to herself. She pushed the door open and found a small blonde girl in a small kimono, her smiling face all pink and pretty in the mirror. When she saw Sonya, she turned and screamed. Thinking quickly, Sonya ran to her and covered her mouth while she tried to use soothing words. In a moment, the girl became silent, and smiled.  
  
"Hey, you saved my puppy!" Sonya smiled.  
  
"That's right, and now I'm here to save you. You are in danger, and I'm going to protect you." The little girl cocked her head in confusion.  
  
"From what?"  
  
"Tenshi, get away from her!" Sonya looked into the mirror and saw the gentleman she knocked down. and stared in shock. Sanosuke? Sonya turned and looked directly into the Japanese man's eyes. It was Sanosuke, the man who was murdered by the Devil's Destiny gang.  
  
"Chi-chi!" She ran to him, and clung to his side. "Chi-chi, she's here to protect me. She saved my puppy, so I know she's a good person."  
  
"No, Tenshi, she is a murderer and a robber, and she is after your money." Sonya knew this wasn't Sanosuke. He didn't know her. as far as she knew. The blonde officer stood and trained her gun on the imposter.  
  
"Let her go. I'm a lieutenant for the Special Forces, and you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Kaoru Sanosuke." The girl gasped and stared at Sonya with eyes wide and full of fear.  
  
"Chi-chi," she whispered as she pulled at his clothes.  
  
"I am ordering you to hand over the child and come along quietly. You will be given a fair trial-" Sonya was cut off as he lunged at her, a concealed knife thrashing at her face. She dodged, but was kicked across the cheekbone. Throwing her weight to the side, she pivoted on her right foot and smashed her knee into his stomach. He grunted but came back at her with a back fist before twisting to brandish the knife over her heart. She was able to block his punch, but she was unprepared for the knife and it sliced into her side. Crying out, she jumped back and threw a snap kick into his chin. He stumbled and crashed into Kaoru's dresser while his head knocked against the mirror, causing it to shatter.  
  
"Chi-chi!" Kaoru continued to scream and Sonya stepped away holding her side. Slowly, the man rose to his feet, and when he faced them, Kaoru gasped and backed into the wall. In a moment, she went into hysterics, her high-pitched screams echoing around the yacht; before them stood a man with his face peeling off. Part of the skin was removed around the eye and cheek where the glass had cut into him. Sonya could detect a hint of recognition while she stared at him, but gave no more thought as he pulled out a gun. She rushed him and they toppled onto the floor. Both her gun and his were knocked away as they wrestled, but Sonya was able to squirm out of his grasp and sit on his chest. Repeatedly, she let blow after blow strike him across the face. Soon, he was bleeding everywhere, and her knuckles were dripping as she pulled away. He lay still, and she checked for breathing. He was still alive.  
  
"Kaoru," Sonya turned to address the child. She was gone. "Shit!" Leaving the man in a bloody heap on the floor, she raced out and headed for the deck. Nowhere could she find Kaoru, until she heard a faint scream in the distance. There she spotted two figures, one struggling in the arms of another, and realized Kaoru was taken while Sonya was in battle.  
  
"Kaoru!" Sonya screamed as she quickly proceeded down the ladder. She ran to where the truck was parked to see it begin to pull away. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she took a diving roll into the back of the truck. After regaining her senses, she kicked at the window, and it cracked. Inside the cabin, the 'grandfather' was struggling to keep his hands on the wheel while Kaoru kicked and scratched at him. He made a sharp turn to the left, and Sonya nearly stumbled off the back of the truck. She stood again, grabbed the wall of the truck, and put one leg over the side of the truck so it hovered in the air. Then, bending forward a bit, she kicked her heel to the driver's side window. Twice more she kicked, and she felt it give way. The driver yelped as glass flew into his face and lap, and he screamed again as Kaoru grabbed his hand and bit down viciously. He was unable to keep an eye on the road, and Sonya watched as the car sped toward a building.  
  
Bringing herself back to a standing position, she kicked at the back cabin window until it, too, broke apart. She hit the old man in the head a few times with her boot until he seemed to lose consciousness. Reaching into the cabin, she quickly pulled Kaoru out as they picked up speed.  
  
"Hold onto me and don't let go!" Before Kaoru could even nod, Sonya jumped off the truck and landed on her right shoulder, rolling for uncountable minutes as the momentum of her body slowed to a stop. Dizzy but relatively unharmed, Sonya looked over Kaoru's trembling body to see the car crash into a brick wall of an Italian restaurant. Kaoru screamed as the crunching metal and shattering glass filled their ears, and in a moment, the engine exploded and the car went up in a ball of flame. Sonya rolled over onto Kaoru to cover her from falling debris, and for a few moments they just lay there panting. When Sonya moved to check on the girl, she found her crying silently.  
  
"Hey, hey Kaoru. It's ok. It's all right. You're ok now." She shook her head and put her hands over her face.  
  
"He hurt me," she sobbed. "Ojisan hurt me. He hit me-" Sonya listened quietly and looked carefully at the bruise forming on her forehead. "- wanted me to stay quiet, wouldn't let me go." Sonya let her cry as she stood up and looked at the flaming wreckage. Well, whoever you were, you're dead now. Quietly, Sonya reached into the small military pack on her left leg and pulled out a cell phone. It was still in tact, luckily. She dialed, but no one answered.  
  
"Come on, come on, pick up the phone Jaxx!" Another 5 rings, and Sonya pressed end in aggravation. Next, she dialed another number. 2 rings. Sonya held her breath.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Oh thank God you're there. Can you pick me up?"  
  
"Sonya? Where are you? Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine Johnny. I'm down near the Marina. I found Kaoru. She's hurt, but I want to explain the situation to her before I get her to a hospital. Can you pick us up?"  
  
Sonya sat in the backseat, cradling the child as she slept. The police had arrived at the scene a few moments after Johnny picked them up. The two had agreed that it would be best to keep Kaoru away from public places for now, so Johnny drove them off to another beachfront property he had in his father's name, which was secluded.  
  
"She going to be all right?" Sonya nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I hope. I don't know how I'm going to break it to her." She stroked the girl's bangs from her eyes. "She doesn't even know us."  
  
"You're strong, Sonya, you'll figure something out. You'll make it through this, just like everything else." Sonya cleared her throat and looked out the window.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Hey, what's going on with Nise? She's not mad that you suddenly left her in the middle of the night?" Johnny shifted in his seat.  
  
"Uh, she's not home. Went over to friend's house for a girl's night out. Don't know when she'll be home." Sonya chuckled slightly.  
  
"Odd, she seems to be away from the house a lot. She work?"  
  
"No."  
  
"So you're supporting her? How much money has she stolen from you?" Sonya smiled as she teased him.  
  
"Stop." Johnny sounded annoyed when he spoke.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look, just- I don't want to talk about it anymore. Nise's not here, and I prefer we keep it that way. All right?" Sonya swallowed.  
  
"Ok." They drove the rest of the way in silence.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When they arrived at the large and isolated beach house, Sonya took Kaoru in her arms as Johnny led her to a guest bedroom where they let her rest. Suddenly, he seized her wrist and began dragging her through the living room down another hallway, stubbornly ignoring her questions and complaints. He turned at the end of the hall, and Sonya admired the large white bathroom as he led her over to the sink.  
  
"You look like shit, Sonya. What did you do to yourself this time?" Johnny joked as he dampened a washcloth and pressed it to the oozing wound across her brow.  
  
"Ow. I was threatened in a gym, got in a fight in an alley, got in another fight on a yacht, jumped on a speeding vehicle, jumped off a speeding vehicle, etc. You know, the usual stuff. Ow!"  
  
"Is that all?" he questioned sarcastically. "Geez, and I thought this was gonna be a tough assignment." He checked over the rest of her, determining the extent of her injuries, before returning his attention to the wound on her head. "If the gash was any bigger, you'd need stitches," he mummered when he pulled the cloth away. Moving slightly, he reached into the closet and pulled out a box of butterfly bandages. Sonya gaped.  
  
"Christ, Cage. What did you do, rob a hospital?" The entire closet was stacked from wall to wall with medical supplies. He chuckled.  
  
"My father trained me here, when I was little. We'd spar for hours everyday, out on the beach, and always one of us, if not both, would come home in need of bandages and Neosporin. So Carla always kept the closet staked up, just in case."  
  
"Who's Carla?" Johnny paused for a minute, a dark shadow gracing his eyes before he continued tending her wounds.  
  
"My sister." He said nothing more, and Sonya could detect remorse in his tone.  
  
"I'm sorry." The actor gave her an odd look then shook his head.  
  
"Don't be. She was a wonderful lady, almost as perfect as my mother." He roughly ripped a bandage to apply to the cement burn on her shoulder. "Then they died. Everyone just fucking died." Sonya remained silent. She understood his feelings, though at a lesser extent. He finished wrapping the wound and tied it firmly.  
  
"How's that bump from today's, uh, accident?" Sonya shrugged.  
  
"Better than the rest of me." He smiled, and patted her good shoulder.  
  
"Glad to hear that." She sighed and spoke again, softly.  
  
"Thank you." They sat in an odd silence for a moment, both trying to look calm and relaxed, but failing miserably.  
  
"Um, you're welcome to stay here for tonight, or as long as you need. There's a room down this hall and on the left that you can use. I really should be getting back, in case Nise calls. She'll be worried if I'm not home. Or she'll assume things." He turned on his heel and walked out into the kitchen for his keys. "There should be some non-perishable items in the cabinets. I'll try and bring some stuff by tomorrow af- oh."  
  
"What?" she asked, casually leaning against the wall.  
  
"You, uh, want to call out sick tomorrow?"  
  
"Oh, work. Uh, yeah, that'd be best." Johnny nodded.  
  
"All right. Call if you need anything." With that, he walked out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where have you been?" Johnny jumped at the voice from the dark living room. He walked into the room and reached for a light. Sitting in her pajamas with her legs curled under her and a stuffed dog in her lap, Nise stared at him with curious and angry eyes.  
  
"My God, Nise, how long have you been up? It's three in the morning!" She flicked her thick black braid behind her in an act of annoyance.  
  
"You didn't answer me." Johnny was baffled. He didn't expect her to be home, and now he didn't know what to say. "Johnny."  
  
"I had trouble sleeping, so I went out for a drive," he lied lamely. Nise's eyebrow arched into an unamused curve.  
  
"A two hour drive?" Johnny's eyes flew to the clock on the wall, and he realized she was right. He had been gone for two hours. He wondered how that came to be. Nise suddenly stood and brushed past him. "Well, I hope she enjoyed it as much as you did."  
  
"Probably not as much as your weekly rendevous." Nise hissed as she turned on him from the stairs, the anger in her eyes matching the annoyance in his own.  
  
"How dare you imply such a thing! I would nev-"  
  
"Really? So where do you always disappear off to after dark, without your cell phone on, and never coming home till three in the morning?" Surprisingly, a soft smile curved her lips.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she whispered gently.  
  
"Yes, I would." Her lithe body sank to the carpeted steps, her elbows fell on her knees and her chin rested in her hands as she looked carefully at the actor.  
  
"It's a surprise I've been planning for you, Johnny. A wonderful surprise to show how much you mean to me. So naturally, I can't tell you what it is, now can I?" Johnny swallowed as he listened to her. "But there's something I need you to do for me, lover."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get rid of this Sonya bitch." Johnny's head fell back as he rolled his eyes and through his hands in the air.  
  
"It's not that simple, Nise."  
  
"Of course it is!" she snapped. "The only reason she came crawling back here is to get you, right?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"She's always around you, and you don't seem to mind it, Johnny. You never have a complaint in the world!" Nise stopped as he voice cracked for a moment. "And I'm scared your going to be more concerned with her, when I need you." Johnny watched her carefully, unsure of how to respond. He always hated it when women cried. but something was different. His heart felt empty, his feelings of love he may have once had now completely abolished. And Nise saw it in his eyes. She rose to her feet and turned, swiftly running up the stairs to get away from him.  
  
"Nise." he called after her.  
  
"Fuck you!" He sat patiently at the base of the stairs, trying to figure out what went wrong, and when. Nise's feet padded softly down, and she cruised past him without stopping. A small bag was at her side and her keys dangled from her free hand.  
  
"I'm sorry," Johnny said as she opened the door. She paused, waiting for him to say something more. But he remained silent. The door slammed after her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yes?" a gruff voice answered.  
  
"Cage is alone now. Why don't you go over and keep him company?"  
  
"Kyoufu, Blade has the girl." Silence. "She got the jump on us at the yacht-"  
  
"You imbicile." A pause. "Very well, we'll use this to our advantage. You'll trace Blade down and bring her and the child to me. As for Cage, I want him gone."  
  
"Yes, boss."  
  
"Oh, and while you're at his place, why don't you leave a few trails leading back to Balford?"  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"I think his loyalty is leaving much to be desired. He's no longer fit to be apart of our plans."  
  
The smile was evident in his voice. "Of course."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sweat rolled from his forehead down his back and into the waistband of his sweats as he continued to kick at the punching bag. In the background, Limp Bizkit's "MI:2" theme song blared on the stereo. When Cage finished his set of Combination kicks, he moved over to the mat on the floor and began various pushups, the whole time keeping himself in motion. He collapsed after 300. For a moment, he just lay there in the floor, breathing heavily. 'Well, this is not one of my better days.' He felt bad about Nise, but then again, he was glad she left. 'Maybe things will work out now.' He rose to his knees and stretched, reached for the remote to silence the stereo, and he set himself down in the Lotus position to clear his mind for a while.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"He's in the basement, working out. Larson, take the back windows. Hatchet, you and your men take the right, Vorcan, your guys will take the left. I'll take the front. Let's go."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After twenty minutes of attempted meditation, Johnny gave up. He had too much on his mind. His fingers ran through his hair as he sighed, and he looked up into the mirrors lining the wall to see his haggard appearance. and a little red dot glowing on the glass. It moved across the mirrors then disappeared behind Johnny's head.  
  
"Shit!" he rolled across the mat as the mirror cracked and the window shattered. Suddenly, the once quiet room became alive with energy as eight masked assailants jumped through the small windows and into the training room. Bullets rained down on Johnny as he tumbled to his feet and jumped through the doorway into the indoor pool room. He turned off the lights, leaving the room colored in moonlight and laid low in the shadows. His heart pounded as he heard footsteps come closer. Then a red light moved around the room as a figure walked in. Two more red dots followed. Johnny searched the floor around him for something to fight back with.  
  
"Yeah, a lot of good pool supplies will do against snipers," Johnny hissed to himself. His hands wrapped around a hard round object. A life saver. Joy. Next to it was a plastic rope used to make lap lanes in the pool. Nearby, he felt a rubber mask. Nise's scuba outfit. His hands moved across the floor till he found the locker, and he quietly opened it up.  
  
Now, the three that came into the room were near the diving board, maybe twenty feet away. His hand skimmed his surfboard before reaching over to her wet suit. The first thing he found was the oxygen mask. Next to it was the oxygen tank. Hmmm. He wrapped the rope around his hand then made a knot that he tied to the preserver. Johnny placed it on the floor as he pulled down his surfboard and placed the oxygen tank on top of it. Using the remaining length of the rope, Johnny tied the tank firmly down on the surfboard. Then he turned the small handle that opened the canister, and the oxygen began to flow to the mask. Shit. They were almost on him. As he moved to the side, his foot grazed some piece of metal, and it scraped across the floor a bit. He froze. A bullet grazed the wall three feet from his head. Damn! Reaching down to the floor, he picked up a screwdriver. Perfect. He followed the red dot on the wall back to the source, and aiming carefully, he threw the screwdriver at one of the men. It cracked into his laser sight, shattering the tiny light bulb. Thrown off guard, the man suddenly fired, hitting another who just entered the room. He didn't have time to cry out as he fell to the floor dead.  
  
"Shit!" someone yelled, and Johnny leapt into action. He jumped at the closet one and brought the preserver down over the attacker's head, trapping his arms at his sides. Johnny kicked the gun away and dove to the floor as the others fired. His hand grasped the tube connecting the mask and tank and yanked. The gas hissed loudly as it burst from the canister. Picking up the surfboard, he tossed it into the pool. It splashed as the tank landed first in the water, and the oxygen being released caused it to move quickly across the surface. When the plastic rope became taught, it pulled the man trapped in the preserver into the pool. Two other men came running into the room, and they all fired at the body struggling in the water. Johnny ran out and charged the men who just came in. He shadow kicked them down. One screamed as his ribs broke, and the other sank down with a groan. Johnny grabbed his neck and punched him, breaking his nose.  
  
"Agh!" Johnny fell to the cold tiled floor, holding his arm. A bullet pierced the skin, making it bleed heavily. I've gotta get rid of those guns! He crawled underneath a lawn chair and waited as he quickly looked for something to wrap around his wound.  
  
"No! Goddamn it!" Johnny smiled when they pulled the body from the water, and found it to be one of their own. Now that the snipers were distracted, Johnny crawled slowly to the nearby bathroom. Once inside, he shut and locked the door behind him, and made his way to the medicine cabinet. Tending his wound took no more than a few moments, and he thought of his opposition. Ok. Eight men altogether. Two dead, two injured. Two where walking around the Olympic sized pool. so where were the other two hiding? He put back the adhesive when he accidentally knocked over a bottle. He looked carefully at it, and began to chuckle. It was a bottle of red dye shampoo. Johnny used it once as a gag on Nise, pretending he cut his head in the pool and was bleeding to death. Then an idea went off.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Upstairs, the last two attackers finished the wiring, and pressed the start button. They ran from the room, one going back to the training room in search of their target, while the other fled. The number ten blinked twice, and slowly the numbers began ticking down to zero. 


	6. Chapter 6

Red and blue lights flashed in annoying circles against the brick walls as police officers moved around to investigate. Some were taking pictures of the blood dripping down the walls, others were taking evidence from the bodies. Paramedics were sealing up the two bloody bodies and a crowd of onlookers were talking quietly behind the yellow tape.  
  
"Wow. Your partner did this?" young Officer Dilly asked with wide eyes.  
  
Jaxx didn't answer, but instead nodded absently. He stopped down to the ground and examined the tires of Sonya's motorcycle. They were slashed from a jagged cord that brought the bike to a sudden stop. Next to the bike, Sonya's keycard and wallet were scattered on the ground. But the young blonde lieutenant was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Do you think she's alive?" Dilly asked hesitantly.  
  
"Of course she is," Jaxx snapped as he stood. "She said there were three people, so one must have escaped on foot. She chased after him, I'll bet." There was a loud chirp from his belt. He unhooked his phone and checked the number. It was marked unlisted.  
  
"Major Briggs," he said carefully as he pressed the end button.  
  
"Jaxx, well it's about freaking time. Where have you been?"  
  
Jaxx sighed with relief. "Damn it, Lieutenant, you scared the hell out of me. Where are you?"  
  
"I'm hiding out for right now."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I'll tell you later. I don't think it's very safe at the moment. I'll come by the hotel sometime tomorrow."  
  
Jaxx held his breath for a moment. "Is someone after you?"  
  
"Possibly. And I think there may be a leak in the station. I followed one the men who attacked me to a hidden room and he informed two others that I'm not an actress, so they know I'm working undercover." In the background, Jaxx heard a loud scream. "Shit! I'll call you back." Sonya abruptly hung up.  
  
"Sonya! Shit."  
  
"Something wrong Major?"  
  
Jaxx turned and looked at Spekly, who seemed slightly out of breath.  
  
"Where have you been?"  
  
"Ah, situation with my mother."  
  
Jaxx stared at him. "You're mother lives here?" he asked flatly.  
  
"No. My sister was in an accident, and she's suffering from some very bad injuries. Mother's afraid that by the time I'm done this case. well, anyway, she wanted me to drop it. Then my sister got on the phone. She's going to be fine." Spekly turned and surveyed the scene. "So," he said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "What have we got here?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hatchet! Look." Colt pointed to the wall. There was a bloodstain, in the print of a hand. "I think we found him."  
  
Hatchet nodded. He peeked around the hall. Small pools of blood and an occasional handprint on the wall led down to the last room on the left. He jerked his head, and they began their way down.  
  
"Looks like you got him good." Colt smiled under his mask. It was good to be back in the assassination business again. He tossed his hand up to halt Hatchet, pointed to his ear, and pointed to the room. Inside, there was heavy breathing, and a muffled groan. Slowly, they each took a side of the door, and Hatchet moved in first. Inside the room was a combination of pool chemicals, a stack of towels, a couple of lawn chairs, and a box of tools. There was also a shower curtain pulled across a corner of the room, and it moved slightly.  
  
Hatchet used two fingers to point to the curtain, held up a third finger, and counted down. When he made a fist, they both fired. Loud groans surrounded the gun fire, and a body fell through the curtain and onto the floor. Hatchet and Colt stopped firing and moved toward the bloody corpse.  
  
"Fuck!" Colt shouted. "Hammer!" The fellow gang member stared up at the two men blankly, a long piece of duck tape surrounding his mouth. His hand and feet were bound behind him.  
  
"Shit, where-" Hatchet didn't finish as he was knocked to the floor. Colt turned and Johnny kicked his gun into the air, turned, and caught it. He removed the clip, thanks to the lessons from Sonya, and tossed it through the window, cracking the glass. Twirling the M-16, these guys were serious, Johnny thought, he used the end of it to smash it into his opponent's face. He went down with a yelp. Johnny was swept, and he also fell with a yelp. The gun was kicked from his hand before bullets began blowing up the tiles next to him.  
  
"Shit!" Johnny rolled backwards and kicked his feet up into Hatchet's stomach, knocking him off balance. When Johnny landed, he spun around and his heel connected into Hatchet's face, cracking his jaw.  
  
"Augh!" Johnny moved closer to the stumbling foe, grabbed his shirt, and gave him an uppercut that shattered his jaw. Shifting his weight, Johnny brought Hatchet's leg up, wrapped his arm around it, and snapped it at the kneecap. Hatchet screamed, fell, and rolled on the ground, moaning like a child. Johnny only had a moment to stare before he was tackled. The two men struggled, but Johnny was stronger. He was able to pin Colt to the floor, and was ready to knock him out when there was another gunshot. Johnny collapsed on top of Colt, bleeding from the cut near his temple. Colt rolled the actor off and chopped down on the back of his neck.  
  
Johnny grunted as colors flashed behind his eyes. After a bit of effort, he rolled on his back.  
  
Colt reached behind him, and pulled out a knife. He spun it around his fingers, brandished it over Johnny's stomach, and thrust down.  
  
Johnny watched through blurred eyes as the knife came at him, and nearly pierced his heart if not for another stopping him.  
  
"No. No time. We have to go."  
  
Colt looked angry. "Come on, just a minute. I want to ruin this little fuck. It's been a while since I've mangled someone's face."  
  
"The fire will be enough torture for him. Let's tie him down so he can't get out."  
  
"No! Damn it, Larson, he killed-" A gun was thrust in his face.  
  
"I'll kill you if you don't help me tie him up. Now."  
  
Larson chewed his lip, but complied. Johnny could feel himself being dragged across the floor; his wrists were seized and tied behind a pipe. His legs were bound at the ankles and above the knees.  
  
"Sorry, mate, but we just don't trust ya." Larson patted Johnny's cheeks and stood. "I planted the evidence, let's go." He turned and walked out.  
  
Colt knelt by Johnny, the knife still flashing in the moonlight. "I'd love to stay a play, but we gotta blow." He laughed. "Actually, you're the one who's gonna blow. Have a nice trip to hell." He moved to stand, but stopped and knelt again. "Oh, just to make sure you don't try any more of this MacGyver shit." He threw the knife into Johnny's thigh.  
  
Johnny screamed as the blade tore his flesh and muscle, and nearly passed out as Colt turned it a few times before tearing it out.  
  
"See ya'round, buddy." He rose, turned, and walked through the door.  
  
"Mwat! 'olt!" Johnny noticed Hatchet struggling toward the door.  
  
Colt paused and looked at his comrade.  
  
"Colt! Move out! That's an order!" The stealth black-clad man looked down the hall then back to Hatchet.  
  
"Sorry, Hatchet. Looks like you've been given a new assignment. Keep Cage company while he goes up in smoke." With that, he ran.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Up above, the numbers ticked past 5:00.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"No, 'ont eve ie heuh!" Hatchet crawled across the floor, his snapped leg dragging across the floor behind him.  
  
Johnny felt sorry for him, even though he tried to kill him. He called out to him as he pulled at his bonds. "Hey."  
  
Hatchet didn't respond.  
  
"Hatchet, wasn't it?"  
  
" 'uck ou!!" Johnny groaned slightly as a throbbing began in his head.  
  
"Hatchet. They're gone. They left you."  
  
Hatchet moaned. "I 'ont anna aie." He continued to moan, nearly sobbing.  
  
Johnny's eyes widened in disbelief. Here was a guy who tried to kill him, used guns, knives, and by the sound of it, explosives, and he was afraid to die?! The irony. He suddenly picked up on Hatchet's odd moans. They were a single word, being chanted like a mantra. It sounded like Elly.  
  
"Hey. Who's Elly?"  
  
Hatchet turned his head and looked at him. " 'uck ou!" he shouted again.  
  
"Hey, Pal, I'm just trying to be nice here! You're the one who tried to kill me, remember? And now you're whining like some beaten pup because you got involved with the wrong people!"  
  
"I uh ou air?"  
  
Johnny took a minute to translate. "I care because I think if we work together, we can both get out of here."  
  
Hatchet moaned again. "Elly."  
  
"She your girlfriend?" No response. "Bet you wanna see her again, huh?" Still no answer. Johnny sighed. "I got a girl too, and I want to see her again. So whadda ya say we get out of here, and I'll treat all four of us to lunch."  
  
Hatchet seemed to mutter some obscenities.  
  
"Uh, once we get that jaw fixed." Johnny winced. "Sorry about that."  
  
"Ou 'ont et it! Ell ill ie! Anuh ou!"  
  
Johnny frowned. Kill me? "Who? Who'll kill us?"  
  
Hatchet tried to answer, but a coughing fit cut him off.  
  
Another groan escaped Johnny's lips as his wrists started to bleed from being rubbed raw. Damn. "Hatchet, listen. If you help me get loose, I'll take you someplace safe. If you save my life, I'll protect yours. I swear it."  
  
Hatchet seemed to hesitate.  
  
"Please, Hatchet. You can't get out of here on your own, and I can't get free on my own. Help me, and I'll get you out." Johnny held his breath. Pleased don't let this guy's loyalty be the end of us. "You don't want Elly to get a letter saying her boyfriend is dead, do you?"  
  
Moments passed in heavy silence. Johnny sighed and leaned his head against the cold metal of the pipe. It looked like he wouldn't be getting into work tomorrow. Something scrapped the floor. Then again. A third time. Johnny opened his eyes to see Hatchet dragging himself across the floor toward him.  
  
"That's it, Hatchet." Three feet away. "Come on, you're almost there." Two feet. "A little closer!" One foot. Then Hatchet brushed against his legs, and there was a knife hacking away at the cords holding Johnny down. In a few moments, Johnny was completely free.  
  
"All right, yes!" Johnny whispered. He carefully rose to his feet, mindful of his recent leg injury. Positive that he could walk on it, he pulled Hatchet up, draped his arm over his shoulder, and began to carry him out. They walked down the hall, and Johnny carried him out to the garage. There, he helped him into the '01 Subaru Outback. When he was all the way in, Johnny shut the door, and moved to the front, jumped into the driver's seat, put the key in the ignition, then dropped his head against the steering wheel.  
  
"Having the keys would help." He pushed himself out of the door and ran back into the house. He raced up to the living room and practically tore the room apart.  
  
"Where did I leave them?!" Johnny yelled as he raced up the stairs. "Shit, I wish I learned how to hot wire a car!" He ran into his bedroom and looked at his bed. Then he froze. Something was ticking. He turned and looked at the bedside dresser. There was a little black box with red numbers turning past 1:00. I minute to detonation.  
  
"Shit!" Johnny quickly moved to the bed and checked his tossed shirt and jacket. He felt inside his pockets, and heard a jingling. "Yes!" He moved toward the door, when he noticed a letter on the floor. It was in Nise's handwriting. He hesitated, and ran out the door. His feet pounded down the stairs and he nearly dislocated his shoulder as he used the railing to turn himself toward the garage. He burst through the door, jumped through the window into the driver's seat, and started the car. He clicked for the garage door to go up. Then he floored it. The tires screeched as he tore out of the garage. Behind them, the house expanded in a large ball of fire that left absolutely nothing but shattered glass, blackened metal, and burnt wood.  
  
"This is definitely not one of my better days."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sonya rushed from the kitchen, her gun drawn, and she burst into the bedroom. Kaoru screamed again when she saw Sonya. She dodged under her covers. Sonya quickly looked about the room.  
  
"Kaoru?" she asked cautiously, stepping toward the terrified girl. "Kaoru?"  
  
"Go away! I want my father!" Sonya's heart sank. Walking around the side of the bed, she sat on the floor, keeping her gun ready.  
  
"Kaoru. Honey, we need to talk." The girl continued to sob. "Kaoru?"  
  
"Who was he? That bad man who had his face coming off?"  
  
"That wasn't your father, honey. That was a thief, who wants something that belongs to you."  
  
"Where's my father?" Sonya sighed.  
  
"Your father is gone. I'm sorry." Kaoru became silent. Her head moved out from under her covers. Red rimmed and full, her eyes pleaded at Sonya to say it wasn't true. Sonya shook her head. "I'm so sorry."  
  
Kaoru bowed her head as sobs wracked her small frame. "Who are you?" she managed to choke out.  
  
"My name is Sonya. I'm a member of the United States Special Forces unit. I help protect people, and I put bad people in jail."  
  
"Are you going to protect me?"  
  
Reaching her hand out to brush some of the blonde hair from Kaoru's face, she nodded. "Yes. I'm going to be with you all the time until we can get you safely back to your grandparents in Japan."  
  
Kaoru flinched from Sonya's touch. "How do I know I can trust you?"  
  
Uh, oh. Sonya took a deep breath. "You don't, Kaoru. I know I can show you my badge, and my personal records, and even my pay stub from the military, but for you it could all be a lie. So, the only thing you can do is have faith in me."  
  
Kaoru's sobs quieted a bit. Her small hand brushed away a stray bang before moving to the bandage on Sonya's arm. "You got hurt."  
  
"It's nothing," Sonya shrugged.  
  
"You got hurt because of me."  
  
"Well, I certainly wasn't going to let you take the brunt of the fall." She noticed Kaoru's eyes become confused, so she changed her words. "I was not going to let you get hurt."  
  
The little girl nodded, more tears streamed from her eyes, and she wiped them away. Then she pulled off the covers and moved off the bed to stand in front of the kneeling lieutenant. Her little lips trembled, her shoulders were shaking, and suddenly she wrapped her arms around Sonya's neck. She cried into her shoulder, and Sonya just sat there, stunned at the sudden trust the child gave her.  
  
Many minutes passed before Kaoru became quiet. Sonya's fingers ran through her hair as she spoke. "You're going to be ok, honey. Everything will get better."  
  
Kaoru sniffled. "I know. It will get better faster if I get something to eat."  
  
Sonya looked down at the girl. She was smiling through her red eyes. "You're hungry? Why didn't you say something sooner?" Moving to her feet, she helped Kaoru up and they moved off to the kitchen.  
  
Sonya was floored. For a seven year old, she ate more than Jaxx after a workout. Two bowls of dry cereal, eggs, pancakes with the works, and a half a bag of pretzels for dessert. Sonya just helped herself to a cup of instant coffee as she watched the girl chow down. They talked for a little while, about anything that came to mind. Sonya needed her trust, and she was willing to work for it. And even though she knew nothing about them, Sonya listened with a smile to everything Kaoru said about the Power Rangers. If Jaxx could see her now.  
  
Kaoru was in the middle of describing Princess Tatsuko, a legendary girl in the town where her grandparents lived, when she began yawning every two minutes. Sonya checked her watch. It was after one. Time for bed.  
  
"Ok, sweetheart, I'm tired. You tired? I'm tired." Sonya stretched and yawned herself. "I think it's time for bed."  
  
Kaoru nodded, yawned, and nodded again. Dragging herself from her chair, she walked back to her room with Sonya behind her. The beautiful blonde lieutenant pointed out where her room was, and told Kaoru to get her if she needed anything. She tucked the girl in, wished her sweet dreams, and left the room.  
  
Sonya stretched again and looked at herself. She was still in the black and white jean suit she had worn from the gym. Her face fell into a frown. Nothing to change into. Oh well. Then there was a low rumble. Sonya froze. It was the garage door opening. Johnny's here? Always wary, Sonya pulled her gun and waited by the door leading into the garage. Two doors slammed shut from inside, and there was a lot of groaning. The door opened, and Sonya pointed her gun at the half unconscious man who came in.  
  
"Freeze."  
  
"Sonya?"  
  
"Johnny?" She moved her head around to see the actor carrying this guy into the house.  
  
"Gimme a hand, huh?" Sonya placed her gun in her belt and held up the open side of the stranger's body. They carried him over to the couch.  
  
"Who's this?"  
  
"A member of your gang that's after the girl." Sonya glanced at him in disbelief, but kept her focus mainly on the guy. She tore off his mask.  
  
"My God." The man couldn't be more than eighteen. Such a young life already ruined by a bad influence. She checked his pulse and examined his wounds.  
  
"Damn. What happened?"  
  
"He and another group of people tried to kill me," Johnny called from the bathroom. "They blew my house, and this guy saved my life."  
  
Saved his life? Sonya's eyebrow arched. "We have to get him to the station. Jaxx will put him in custody. Maybe we can use him as a testimony to Balford and the group."  
  
"That's assuming he knows anything. But Sonya, I just brought him here, he's in a lot of pain. Can't we just wait-"  
  
"Absolutely not. He's apart of the group trying to get Kaoru. Keeping him here is putting her in danger." She walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a phone. "I'll call Jaxx and tell him you're on bringing him to the station."  
  
"What?!" Sonya looked up at Johnny's sharp reply.  
  
"I'm not leaving this assassin here with Kaoru in the other room, and I can't leave you with her because she doesn't know you."  
  
"Why can't we just let him stay for the night?"  
  
Sonya couldn't believe it. "Are you fucking high?!" Johnny came out of the bathroom, and for the first time, Sonya noticed his bloody appearance.  
  
"Sonya, I was just attacked. I've been shot twice, and I had a knife tossed into my leg. I'm hurt, I'm tired, my house exploded, and I would just like to go to bed." He moved his arms in a gesture of defeat, his eyebrows rose as he stood with the accent of finality.  
  
"That's right," she snapped, "Everything's about you. Who cares if we have a man in our house apart of a group trying to take over the country after they rip off a couple billion from a seven year old girl and then dump her in a bay somewhere. Yeah, sounds wonderful. I guess I should follow your motto of 'fuck everything' and get a couple of beers and a can of peanuts while I sit down and watch a football game with our new pal." Her hands danced about in the air as she talked before they slapped against her pants. "Yep, there's the answer to all my problems right there! Next I'll be sleeping with you. Oh, no wait, that won't happen. You know why? Because you suck!"  
  
Johnny stared at her with no emotion whatsoever. He disappeared into the bathroom and came out a moment later with a small blue box.  
  
"Midol?" Sonya nearly screamed as she stormed into the kitchen. When Johnny walked in, she was talking on the phone.  
  
"No, I'm fine. There was something I had to deal with. Anyway, yeah, I have a member taking a nap in the living room. I can't leave for reasons I don't want to disclose on the phone, and Johnny's too busy fixing his hair in the bathroom." Johnny's eyebrow arched as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Sonya's eyes caught his, and she could tell he wasn't amused.  
  
"Yeah, can you come over? Hang on a second." She put the phone away from her ear for a minute. "What's the address?"  
  
Johnny remained silent. He stared at her, almost as if there was something bothering him about Jaxx coming over. Then he gave her the directions.  
  
"Thanks, Jaxx. And don't tell anyone about this address. I trust no one. See you soon." She hung up and walked for the living room. Johnny blocked her. She glared at him. "Do you mind?"  
  
"No, I don't. I rather enjoy being in your way."  
  
"And I rather enjoy target practice with live targets." Johnny didn't react. Sonya was really getting pissed.  
  
"Get out of my way or I'll break a rib. Possibly two."  
  
"What are you so pissed about?"  
  
"You, now move."  
  
"No." Sonya stared at him, her brown green eyes flashing.  
  
"Is there something you want, Johnny?" He didn't answer. Surprisingly, she smiled. "I think you want something. And I think I know what it is."  
  
"Oh, I doubt that."  
  
Her voice dropped dangerously low. "Oh?" She moved closer to him, pushing her face up mere inches from his. "I don't." Johnny nearly jumped out of his skin when her hands suddenly pressed onto his hips. Her body moved into his, and she licked her lips as her breath mingled with his. "Am I getting close?" she whispered huskily.  
  
Johnny's arms unfolded and his hands moved around her waist. "I think you can get closer." Sonya chuckled softly and tipped her head up. Johnny's eyes closed as he leaned down. His could feel the very tip of her lips. and suddenly the room flipped as Sonya lifted him at the waist and tossed him over her shoulder.  
  
"SONYA!" He would have struggled if he wasn't so shocked. Sonya carried him across the room and tossed him down on the recliner. He sat there, mouth agape as Sonya stretched.  
  
"So baby," she moaned carefully. "Was it good for you? It was great for me." She winked at him before walking over to the man unconscious on the couch.  
  
Johnny wasn't going to let her get off that so easily. "So," he said cockily. "How much do I owe you?"  
  
Sonya smiled slightly but didn't let Johnny see it. Instead, she focused on the man's injuries. Her hands moved down to his broken leg. "How about a towel, some warm water, and some rope or thin strips of cloth. And something to bite on. Oh, chocolate would be helpful, too."  
  
Johnny got to his feet and disappeared into the kitchen. "Getting kinky, are we?"  
  
"You want it kinky, it'll cost you extra." Johnny's head poked out from the side, and he blinked. Is she really playing off me? A few moments later, he came out with a plastic bowl filled with water, a towel, and a big wooden spoon. He left them at Sonya's side. He marched to the closet, pulled out a set of sheets, and tore them down into long strips, as Sonya had asked. When he returned, Sonya was already pressing the towel to his head. He began to stir. The boy tried to speak, but Sonya stopped him.  
  
"Shh. I'm going to help you. I need you to bite on this." She put the spoon to his mouth.  
  
"I don't think that'll work, Sonya. I, uh, really busted up his jaw." Sonya looked at Johnny, her eyes reflecting annoyance, and she moved her hands around the boy's jaw. He groaned and hissed in pain.  
  
"Yep, you completely destroyed his jaw, Johnny. Good job. Now if I try to fix his leg, he'll scream, wake up Kaoru, and the scare the living hell out of here." Johnny took the towel and put it into the boy's mouth.  
  
"Sorry, Pal. I promise this'll only take a moment." The boy nodded, and Sonya moved to his leg. She looked at Johnny, who nodded. Her hands rested carefully on the boy's leg. Without warning, she gripped his leg and yanked it to the right. He screamed into the towel as she moved his leg again, finally getting it into place. She used a nearby hardcover book as a firm support as she made a splint with the stripes of bed sheets. When she finished, he had passed out.  
  
"Better that way," she muttered. Bright lights caught her attention in the driveway. "Jaxx is here." She got up.  
  
"Wait." She looked at Johnny, and suddenly there was a Snickers Bar in her hand. "Extra tip for an extra trip," he smiled. Sonya smiled back and went outside to greet her partner.  
  
Johnny stayed inside and he dipped the towel in the water. He pressed it to the teenager's head. "Don't worry. Sonya and the others'll take good care of you." Jaxx came inside.  
  
"Hey, Johnny. Wow, what the hell happened to you?"  
  
"Good to see you to, Jaxx. It's a long story."  
  
"That him?" Jaxx moved closer and checked him over. He removed all the concealed weapons on his body before he tore the boy's left sleeve all the way up to the shoulder. "Yep. Black dragon. He's a member." Johnny noticed the tattoo of a black dragon with red eyes.  
  
"I'll take him down now. We'll keep him locked up until we get a lawyer, and you can question him tomorrow." Sonya nodded.  
  
"What about his injuries?" Johnny asked.  
  
"I'll have a doctor come in and check it out. Now, if we're done here," Jaxx yawned. "I'm going, he's coming with me, and then I'm going back to the hotel and not getting up again until 10 tomorrow." He kneeled by the couch and draped the boy across his shoulders.  
  
"Thanks Jaxx."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll just add it to the tab. You coming back to the hotel, Sonya?" She hesitated before answering.  
  
"I can't. I need to stay here tonight. I'll explain tomorrow." Jaxx smiled slightly as he looked from Sonya to Johnny.  
  
"Have fun," he joked. Johnny laughed; Sonya shot daggers from her tired eyes. Jaxx got the hint and headed for the door.  
  
"Ok, I'll see you two tomorrow." Johnny got the door.  
  
"I'll fill you in tomorrow," Johnny whispered.  
  
"Johnny!" Jaxx chuckled as he left.  
  
Johnny stretched. "Well, I'm beat. I'm going to bed." He flashed her a seductive smile. "Can I give you a lift?" Johnny's smile faded as a pillow flew into his face. When he looked again, Sonya had already shut the door in her room.  
  
"Hey, I paid for a full night!" He turned out the lights as he walked to his room. "Man, that's the last time I pre-pay for anything," he grumbled as he shut the door behind him. 


	7. Chapter 7

"He'll live. If I can take him into the emergency room, I can remove his broken jaw and replace it with a fake one. Unfortunately, he'll be impaired in speech for the rest of his life." The doctor put away his medical bag and wrote a few notes down on a piece of paper. "His leg will heal with time."  
  
"Thanks for coming out on such short notice, Doc. I'm glad to know he'll live. He's very important in this case."  
  
The young handsome black man nodded as he pulled out his keys. "If anything else happens, or he reports of any other pains, call me immediately, and I'll come by."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind. Drive carefully." Spekly walked him to the cell door that would lead him back to the offices of the station.  
  
In the entire station, only a few people were working. Late night rookies trying to make it big, and night time security that kept an eye on the prisoners. Then there was a few assigned to the night shift, who stayed up in case of a late night emergency. Spekly was among them.  
  
"Hey, Mr. FBI Agent, pullin' an all nighter?" Hughs, the guard assigned to watch the jail cells, was pouring himself a cup of coffee.  
  
"You better believe it. This gang is getting ruthless. They attacked Lt. Blade, and then they attacked Mr. Cage's home." Spekly sighed as he leaned on the desk assigned to him temporarily. "Thank god he survived. He's out best connection to Balford."  
  
"And then you have a new lead."  
  
Spekly nodded thoughtfully. "I'm just wondering if he'll talk once we fix his jaw. Some of these bastards have really close ties to the group, and are rather faithful, especially when you consider the consequences."  
  
"Do you think he'll talk?"  
  
"Well, I guess we'll see after the surgery." Spekly smiled at Hughs. "Taking a coffee break?"  
  
"Yep. It's really dull sitting there guarding the gate. Sometimes I wonder what I see in this job."  
  
Speckly laughed. "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."  
  
There was a loud ring down the hall. The fire alarm.  
  
"A drill?" Spekly asked as he got to his feet.  
  
"Everyone out! There's a fire raging in the east wing!" Smoke poured into the room as the commander in chief ordered the evacuation. Hughs began making his way back to the jail. The chief called him back  
  
"Forget it, Hughs. It looks like the fire is going to spread and block the way to the jail. We've got the firesafe glass down. The suspect's safe in there," the chief barked as he ordered everyone out.  
  
"Terrific," Spekly muttered to himself. He picked up his coat and checked his gun before following Hughs. Accidentally, he banged his shin into the corner of a nearby desk, and he knocked into Hughs. He balanced himself, smiled apologetically at Hughs, and continued out the door.  
  
  
  
The key turned loudly in the empty building, and the gate slid open with a shuddering clang. Soft footsteps tapped down then tiled hall. They turned and stopped in front of the softly lit cell. More keys jingled, scraped inside the lock, and another clang as the metal door rolled across the floor.  
  
Soft moans echoed from the bed. Hatchet stirred slightly. His eyes opened. A shadow hovered over his bed. A familiar shadow. 'No!' A gloved hand clamped down over his mouth before he could utter a word.  
  
He struggled, and pressure was suddenly put on his injured leg, making him spasm with pain. Then his hands were cuffed to the metal post. A dirty rag was stuffed into his mouth. A knife glinted in the light.  
  
"You know what we do to traitors, Hatchet. You should have thought about that before you helped Cage out of the house."  
  
Hatchet's eyes widened in fear. The blade came closer, his heart raced, and he screamed into the gag as he felt the metal press against his eyelid.  
  
  
  
CRASH!  
  
Sonya rolled over in her bed and pressed her head deeper into the pillow.  
  
"I'll kill you!" Sonya's eyes cracked open a bit against the harsh sunlight. Her eyes cleared and she read the alarm clock. Ten thirty. She groaned as she lifted herself up on her elbow. There was a loud bang from outside her room, and a wail of pain. Then her door burst open.  
  
"Baka! Hentai! Chinko!" Johnny came tearing across the room and jumped on Sonya's bed.  
  
"Stop her! She's gone berserk!" Sonya screamed as Johnny tried to hide himself behind Sonya and under the covers while little Kaoru jumped on the bed and began bonking him on the head with a frying pan.  
  
"Hey, hey stop!" Sonya tried to yell over the din, but only resulted in getting herself tossed out of the bed. She pulled the covers with her, Johnny toppled out from underneath, and Kaoru fell on her back on the bed.  
  
"Ouch! CAGE! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME RIGHT NOW!" Kaoru looked over the edge to see Sonya pushing the bruised actor aside and standing up to get herself together. "Now what in God's name is going on here?" Kaoru was suddenly at her side with the frying pan in hand, looking ready to kill the man trapped under the sheets.  
  
"He was watching me!" Kaoru screeched. She lifted the pan and brought it down on his head again. "Hentai!"  
  
"OW! Will you stop that?!"  
  
"No!"  
  
Sonya rubbed her temples. This was not the way she wanted to start her morning. Then the man and child were arguing.  
  
"You shouldn't be in my room!"  
  
"You weren't in your bed, I got scared!"  
  
"Why do you care?!"  
  
"I don't! Sonya would kill me if you disappeared!"  
  
"What are you doing in our house?"  
  
"This is my place!"  
  
"No, it's Sonya-san's!"  
  
"No it's mine!"  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"Is too!"  
  
"Not!"  
  
"TOO!"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Sonya pulled the pan from Kaoru's hands and pulled the sheets off of Johnny's head. Sonya forced herself not to smile. Johnny was really beat up. There was a nice swelling around his eye and under the small butterfly bandage near his temple. His lip was cracked, and his cheek was red and nearly throbbing. "Now, what happened?"  
  
"He walked in on m-"  
  
"You were sleepin-"  
  
"He had no right to-"  
  
"I didn't want to wake-"  
  
"I thought he was bad-"  
  
"She attacked me in the kitch-"  
  
"It's his fault!"  
  
"No it's yours for-"  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"Is too!"  
  
Sonya smacked Johnny's head with the pan.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Will you grow up?" she hissed. Kaoru smiled smugly. Johnny glared. "Ok, let's go into the kitchen and settle this. I need coffee."  
  
"And I need a restraining order," Johnny muttered. Kaoru gripped Sonya's hand tightly. They walked into the kitchen, Kaoru eyeing Johnny carefully. Sonya groaned.  
  
"Uh, I'll fix that." Johnny put back the toppled table and chairs, and moved to the cabinet to make some instant coffee.  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"This is my friend Johnny Cage. He owns the place, and he's letting us stay here." Sonya tapped the little girl's nose. "So no more hitting him with frying pans."  
  
Johnny grinned. Kaoru wasn't happy.  
  
"I don't like him. He walked in on me."  
  
Sonya's eyebrow arched. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I was changing in the bathroom and I looked in the mirror and he was staring at me!"  
  
Johnny nearly dropped the kettle. "I was not!" he cried out indignantly. "You weren't in your bedroom, and so I checked the bathroom. It's not like I was watching you! Ugh, that's disgusting!"  
  
"You're disgusting! Hentai."  
  
"What does that mean, anyway?"  
  
"Johnny, why didn't you knock?"  
  
"And let her hear a male voice who she doesn't recognize? Yeah, that would have gone over real well."  
  
"About as well as this little episode, eh?" Sonya asked flatly.  
  
Johnny shrugged and brought over a cup of coffee. "All right. It could have been handled better. I should have done something different."  
  
"Like wake me up," Sonya added.  
  
"And then get the shit beat out of me if I told you I couldn't find the girl."  
  
Sonya slapped his arm. "Watch your mouth!"  
  
"And I have a name!" Kaoru piped.  
  
"I believe the term is Brat."  
  
"You idiot!"  
  
"Spoiled apple!"  
  
"Rat!"  
  
"Chicken!"  
  
"All right!" Sonya held the bridge of her nose. "Kaoru, no more name calling."  
  
"He started it!" She was silence by Sonya's not too happy glance.  
  
"And you, Johnny, will maintain the maturity level of at least a 12 year old. I know that'll be hard for you, but you're an actor. You should be able to pull it off."  
  
Johnny gave her a very annoyed look. She shot it right back.  
  
"From now on, I don't want to hear a single insult while I'm here. If you fight again, I'll send both of you to your rooms without dinner. Understood?" Johnny and Kaoru sulked and mumbled their consent. 'Children.' She sighed.  
  
"How did you sleep, Kaoru?" She took the little girl's hand in her own. "No, bad dreams?"  
  
"Nope. I was fine until he showed up."  
  
Sonya rolled her eyes. "And you Johnny? How's your leg?"  
  
Johnny shifted a bit. "It's fine, really. The knife didn't do as much damage as I thought. It hurts when I walk, but I can walk, and that's most important." The phone rang.  
  
"I'll get it." Sonya walked over to the phone.  
  
Johnny turned and watched her when he felt something hit his cheek. He looked at Kaoru, who was staring out the window looking completely bored. Johnny turned back to Sonya to hear who was calling. Something hit him again. He swiveled in his chair. Kaoru hadn't moved. Then he noticed something between her fingers. Little rolled up pieces of paper.  
  
"Quit it," he muttered.  
  
"Bite me." Johnny was shocked at her tone, but he wasn't going to take that from a seven year old.  
  
"Cow."  
  
"Manure."  
  
"Snail."  
  
"Snow blower."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I win." Kaoru snickered as she wiggled out of the chair and moved to the living room to watch TV.  
  
Johnny couldn't believe it. He was outdone by a person who's feet didn't even touch the floor when she sat in a chair. He got up and walked into the living room. Peacefully quiet, Kaoru laid on her stomach in front of the TV, her feet swinging about in the air carelessly. Deciding it wasn't worth the effort, Johnny walked toward his room.  
  
"Ape."  
  
Johnny paused. "No fighting while Sonya's here."  
  
"She's not, she's in the other room." Kaoru turned to face him. "Unless you just give up cause I'm gonna win again."  
  
"Eat my shorts." Kaoru moved to the couch, picked up a small throw pillow, and chucked it at him. Johnny easily caught it and gently tossed it back at her. Kaoru ducked, scrambled to her feet, and charged him.  
  
"Eep!" Johnny was suddenly knocked backwards, and Kaoru was sitting on his chest, tickling him. "Ah, no wait! Ha ha, stop!"  
  
"Uncle!" Kaoru squealed, "Say uncle!"  
  
"Never!" Johnny tickled her back, and they were both laughing on the floor until Johnny noticed Sonya standing in the doorway. She was smiling slightly, but her eyes were pissed. Johnny stopped and got to his knees.  
  
"Who was on the phone?" Suddenly he was in a tiny headlock.  
  
"Say Uncle!"  
  
"Ack, Kid." He pulled at her arms and brought her around to face him. "Uncle, you win. Go back and watch TV."  
  
She pouted. "You gave up too easily." Then she punched him in the stomach. "Next time, try harder, or I won't play anymore."  
  
"Ok," Johnny coughed. Kaoru walked back and sat crossed legged in front of the wide TV. Johnny stood up and followed Sonya into the kitchen.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"That was Jaxx. There was a fire at the station last night."  
  
"Is anyone hurt?"  
  
Sonya sighed. "No, but your gang member friend is dead. He was murdered this morning."  
  
Johnny groaned and punched at the wall. "Shit. How? I thought that place was, like, guarded by cops?"  
  
Sonya shrugged. "I'm about to find out. I'm going down to the station now." She stared at him, crossed her arms, and shifted her weight. "Can I trust you two to not destroy the place before I get back?"  
  
Ten minutes later, and after a hell of a lot of promises to be good, Sonya left and Johnny sat down on the couch.  
  
"Hey, girl."  
  
Kaoru turned to him with a look of mock annoyance.  
  
"You threw a nice punch at me. You know karate?"  
  
  
  
The place was covered in yellow police tape and curious reporters. Sonya showed her badge and was let in to the cell area. The building smelled of burnt wood and cooked plaster. Jaxx was talking with Spekly and another officer she didn't recognize.  
  
"And you didn't see anybody slip in or out of the building?"  
  
Spekly shook his head. "Jaxx, I told you, there was too much smoke. The building was on fire, which we don't know how it started, and we had no idea that someone would slip into a burning building to kill someone behind bars."  
  
"But it was the perfect distraction, wasn't it?" Sonya asked as she stepped up. "Morning everyone."  
  
They nodded at her, and Jaxx pulled her aside. He began answering her questions before she even asked them. "The building caught fire about 3:30 this morning. Doctor Desko had come in about 2:10, maybe twenty minutes after I dropped off your suspect. Desko left around 3:15. Then the fire broke out in the east side of the building."  
  
"Everyone evacuated?" Sonya looked down at the cell that was being photographed.  
  
"Immediately. All were reported and accounted for outside."  
  
"But someone was inside the building."  
  
"They came in, killed the guy, and left. No fingerprints, no footprints, no witnesses."  
  
"Where's the body?"  
  
Jaxx pointed at the cell. "Still there." He held out his hand, gesturing for her to go first. She passed officers taking information and a doctor on the scene. Another gentleman was taking pictures. When Sonya turned into the cell, her stomach fell to her feet.  
  
The walls were covered in blood. The putrid smell of blood and body fluids invaded her senses, leaving her ill. The sheets were torn, the bed snapped in half. Across the window, written sloppily in blood, was the word 'Traitor.' Along the floor, in puddles of spreading blood, were various appendages. Sonya counted seven fingers, three toes, and a crushed eyeball. Her stomach lurched. The room was the perfect display of a psychopath with a knife at his best.  
  
Something was wrong though. Sonya noticed water dripping next to her. She looked at her feet. Droplets fell into a crimson pool. Her eyes drifted up the wall and across the ceiling.  
  
"Dear God." Torn limb from limb and hanging by blood soaked sheets was the body of Hatchet. His arms and legs dangled like wind chimes. His torso spun slowly around in a half circle. His head was missing. Probably taken as a trophy, she surmised.  
  
"Pretty gruesome. I feel for the poor bastard that found him," Jaxx muttered as he stepped into the cell.  
  
"When was he found?"  
  
"Right after the officers were allowed to enter the building. That was about five thirty, six o'clock this morning."  
  
Sonya turned away and left the cell, needing to get out for some fresh air. "Why did it take so long to put out the fire?"  
  
"Possibly a bomb."  
  
"A bomb?" Sonya paused at the coffee machine and stared at him.  
  
"Well, apparently, the fire was put out around four. Then, for some reason, it started back up again. So, when they got it out for the second time, firemen were sent in to search the place for anything that could further endanger the lives of the officers."  
  
Sonya poured herself a cup of black coffee and sat down in a nearby chair. "All right. The suspect, who Johnny said was named Hatchet, gets here at, what, a little before two. The doctor comes in and leaves a little after three. The fire breaks out with unknown causes, correct?"  
  
"We think it was started in a trashcan that spread up the wall of the documentation room and spread from there," Jaxx answered as he pulled up a chair.  
  
"Everyone evacuated?"  
  
"Evacuated and checked off outside," Spekly suddenly broke in as he strolled over to the two Special Forces members. "I was here, and I know what went on outside."  
  
"And Hatchet? Was he evacuated also?" Sonya asked, looking up at the young agent.  
  
"No. Here, they have a state of the art jail protection system. If there's an emergency, like a fire, the jail gets locked down in a special fireproof bulletproof glass padlock on all four sides. This way, there's no threat to those in jail, and no threat to the officers by having to get them out and take them into the streets, where they could make a break for it."  
  
"There's supposed to be a guard there, also, in case of an emergency in the jail. He's also the person that lets visitors in and out of the prison cells," Jaxx added.  
  
"He didn't see anything?" Sonya asked in disbelief. "He saw no one enter or exit that cell, yet he's the only one with the keys to get in and out?"  
  
"Actually," Spekly said carefully as he rubbed his chin, "the guard, Hughs wasn't at the jail when the fire broke out. He was getting a cup of coffee and talking to me." Spekly grabbed a third chair, spun it backwards, and sat down. "He was about to head back when the alarm went off. As soon as that alarm goes off, the padlock glass doors shut and lock. No one can get in or out of there without a pass code and the guard's keys."  
  
"Why didn't Hughs go back and get in? I'm assuming he has all of those things, right?" Sonya questioned.  
  
"Of course. But the chief ordered him out. Said the prisoner would be fine, the fire would be out shortly, and considering he was injured, there was no way he could escape." Spekly stopped and looked between Jaxx and Sonya. The two of them were sharing a concentrated look, like they knew something he didn't. So he asked.  
  
Neither answered.  
  
After a few moments of silence, a realization dawned on Spekly's face.  
  
"Oh, no. Oh, terrific." Both looked at him. "There's an inside connection. isn't there. Someone who knows the works of this place, and could move around without getting caught." He covered his mouth with his hand, and thought carefully. "Hughs."  
  
"What?" Jaxx asked.  
  
"Well, he's the only one with the keys, right?" Spekly looked at Sonya, who looked at Jaxx, who looked right back at her.  
  
"True. He could have given them to someone," Sonya allowed.  
  
Spekly snapped his fingers. "That's it. All right, listen to this. Hughs knows someone who's apart of the gang. He alerts him that Hatchet is in jail. So now this person wants to get inside and stop him from saying anything. He gets inside under the cover of a police uniform, and sets a fire in the documentation room. Then he goes and hides in the sign out room where Hughs keeps watch. Hughs gives him the keys, leaves the room for a cup of coffee, and then exits the building when the fire goes off. When he comes back in, he checks on Hatchet, sees the murder, and pleads innocence by acting horrified and shocked that someone got inside and did this. There!"  
  
Jaxx stared at Spekly for a moment before looking at Sonya. "That's a plausible theory. Maybe this man was an inside rat for the gang."  
  
Sonya shook her head. "We're pinning this too quickly on someone we just thought of."  
  
"Do you have any other ideas, lieutenant?" Spekly asked. She didn't answer him.  
  
"All right, Agent Spekly, get a background check on Hughs. See if he has any past dealings that we don't know about."  
  
"Right." He rose and left.  
  
Jaxx looked at Sonya. "Something on your mind?"  
  
"That was too easy." She shook her head again. "He came up with that right off the top of his head, almost like it was rehearsed."  
  
Jaxx suddenly laughed. "You can't be serious. You think it's Spekly? Sonya, he's one of the best agents the FBI has. He's been trained for years in this field. He is supposed to come up with possible solutions that quickly."  
  
"But not that perfectly," she shot back defiantly.  
  
Jaxx stopped laughing. His face went grim and his eyes became serious. "Lieutenant, he saved my life in boot camp, when I almost broke my neck after getting tangled in a rope that wasn't tied properly. He's solved at least a hundred cases where he's saved more lives than I can even count. The number of bad guys, conspiracies, government threats, and public threats he's stopped and brought an end to rivals our own number of accomplishments. He is a good man. And if I couldn't have you at my back, I wouldn't want anyone else but him."  
  
Sonya shifted in her seat. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "You're right. I know, everything you said is true. I checked it out myself. I guess, I guess I just still have this problem with trusting people."  
  
Jaxx stood and patted her shoulder. "It happens to the best of us. Come on, I'll treat you to lunch. Then we can go over the loose ends of this case."  
  
"Which are?" Sonya asked wearily as she rose to her feet.  
  
"Well, for starters, why Balford's suddenly disappeared."  
  
"Balford's missing? Since when?" Sonya replied, shocked.  
  
"This morning some officers brought a few materials back from Johnny's house, which is now complete rubble, by the way. There was some evidence they found under the wreckage, and along the yard. Stuff leading back to Balford."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"His name engraved gold wrist watch and electrical wiring that was apart of the explosives in the house. His fingerprints were all over it. We tried to get in touch with him, but he seems to have disappeared. No signs of him having been at his trailer or his house since at least yesterday morning."  
  
"So, he bombed Johnny's house and fled."  
  
"That's what we think. Now, changing topics, the most important thing we need to focus on is where Kaoru is. If we can just get her, then we'll have the upper hand.  
  
Sonya smiled. "Ask and ye shall receive." 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: As it's been awhile, I would just like to remind the kind public who actually put up with my faulty storyline that most of the characters (like the heroes) are not mine, sad but true.  
  
Well, here's another part (surprisingly). I would like to finish this story, and the way things are folding out, I'm going to try to do that this weekend. As always, critiques and comments are not just welcome, but encouraged, so I can improve my writing. Thanks for sticking with me this long.  
  
From the garage, Sonya could smell smoke. So could Jaxx. They shared a look of concern before readying their guns and making their way around the house. Sonya waved to the back, signaling Jaxx to take the backdoor. Cautiously, Sonya moved up the front steps and quietly opened the door. She searched the front hall. It was wrecked. The small table with vases on top was cracked on the floor, the flowers strewn everywhere. Her blood began to pound in her ears as thousands of thoughts raced through her mind. How? Was it really possible? Did someone tail Jaxx here? Tail Johnny here? Stepping softly down the hall, she checked the closet and the sitting room, which was also in much disarray.  
  
Something muffled came from the next room. Sonya leaned against the wall and peered into the living room. The couch was missing its cushions. The tables were on their backs, magazines knocked all across the floor. The pictures on the walls were crooked or cracked on the floor. And as for the noise... two people were making out on the TV. That didn't help Sonya's upset disposition at the moment. Then a scream alerted her of a presence in the kitchen.  
  
Quickly she ran in. "Freeze!" Two more screams as two bodies covered in white faced her with their arms in the air. Then Jaxx burst through the door, and another two screams followed.  
  
"Sonya! What the hell are you doing?!" Sonya's gun lowered as she looked carefully to see Johnny's confused eyes staring at her from under the thick white powdery substance.  
  
"Johnny?" Jaxx asked, lowering his gun. A grunt escaped his lips as he was hit in the back by something hard. He turned to see a frying pan fly at his face. It clanged against him, and he fell on the floor.  
  
"Ack!"  
  
"Kaoru!"  
  
"Hey Kid, stop!" Johnny and Sonya ran into each other trying to get the pan away from Kaoru. Right where they collided, there was an unnoticed, until the ironic moment, puddle of water, and the two martial artists slipped, flipped, and flopped on the ground.  
  
Kaoru paused in her assault on Jaxx to look at the two in shock... before she began laughing so hard tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. Jaxx couldn't suppress the chuckles rising in his throat, and soon he was rumbling with laughter.  
  
Johnny and Sonya were less than amused.  
  
"You idiot!" She picked herself up to her knees and slapped him across the back of the head. Johnny yelped.  
  
"Hey, what was that for?! What the hell did I do now?!"  
  
"The house is a mess, Johnny! And we smelled smoke from outside! I was scared out of my mind cause I thought someone broke in!" She looked across the kitchen and noticed a fire extinguisher on the counter, and a large black thing sticking out of the trashcan. "What the hell is that?"  
  
"John-san wanted to make you a cake so you wouldn't feel so bad about the house. But, John-san's not a very good cook."  
  
"Hush, you," Johnny chided. "You didn't help any by telling me to put the cake mix in the microwave to make it rise faster."  
  
Sonya's lips curled up in a smile that she tried to hide. "Johnny, what is all over you?"  
  
Johnny blushed, or would have if his cheeks weren't all white. "Uh, Kaoru and I had a little tournament with, uh, flour."  
  
Sonya turned to see Kaoru nod vigorously. "I won!" she sang happily.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Johnny mumbled as he stood. "Just like every other `tournament' we had."  
  
"And how many was that?" Jaxx asked. Kaoru looked at him like she just remembered he was there, and hit him on the head again.  
  
"Be quiet! I don't trust you!" Johnny barked with laughter as Sonya quickly took the pan from her hand and sent her off to the bathroom to get cleaned up.  
  
"Sorry about that, Jaxx. She's just, uh, a little crazy with this thing." Sonya moved around the various piles of baking ingredients that littered the floor as she put the pan somewhere out of reach.  
  
Johnny handed Jaxx an ice pack. "Here, I saved this one, just in case." Jaxx gave him a questioning look. "I went through it this morning," he uttered with a slight smile. Then he pointed at the bruises near his hairline.  
  
"Gosh, if she wasn't Japanese, I'd swear she was Sonya's kid."  
  
"I'll never have kids," Sonya growled, and swung her hands around the room as emphasize for why. Sonya tossed a wet towel at Johnny who began wiping his face clean. "Honestly, Cage, what the hell happened here? It looks like you invited Liu and Rayden over for a slug fest!"  
  
"Well," Johnny sighed from behind the damp cloth...  
  
Three hours and a few cups of coffee later...  
  
"So, Jaxx is my partner, has been for quite a few years, and is dedicated, just like Johnny and I, to keeping you safe. If anything happens to me or Johnny, you can trust him. And I want you to trust him. It's important to everyone that we keep you safe." Sonya finished talking and smiled at the little girl.  
  
Kaoru stared at Jaxx for a few moments before ducking her head.  
  
"So, pretty much what you're telling me is that there's a possible snip at the station, Balford had a part in my house redecorating, and now he's disappeared with no trail, and you now have absolutely no leads," Johnny summed up after he listened to the long, detailed occurrences of the day.  
  
Jaxx nodded solemnly.  
  
Sonya stared down at her coffee, her mind drifting from thing to thing as she listened to Johnny's attempt at explaining the disaster in the house, Jaxx's information on the murder at the jail, the news on Balford's disappearance, as well as the possible connection to the arsenic attack on his home. But for some reason, Sonya thought things were out of place... something wasn't right... And it caught her by surprise when she remembered.  
  
"Where's Nise?"  
  
The two men, who were now discussing Kaoru's odd obsession with the frying pan, looked up confused.  
  
"What was that?" Jaxx asked.  
  
"Nise. What happened to Nise?" Sonya's eyes slanted the tiniest bit as she looked at Johnny. "Since the fire, you haven't mentioned her once."  
  
Johnny seemed to become tense under her hard gaze, but if he was nervous it didn't show. "She went away for awhile, to visit her mother in Australia. She became ill over the weekend, and it could be critical. Nise was nearly devastated, so I immediately got her to the airport and on the next flight out. I don't know when she'll be coming back, but I, uh, called her while you were out, to let her know what happened to the house. So, she's all right."  
  
Sonya frowned.  
  
"Looks like she got out of there just in time, huh?" Jaxx asked and slapped Johnny's shoulder. "You guys are lucky."  
  
"Yep." Johnny didn't seem too thrilled, though. No one said anything for a moment. "So... now what?"  
  
Jaxx's cell rang. He pulled it from his waist, flipped it upon, and put it to his ear.  
  
"Briggs. Hello. Yes, what it is? WHAT?" His body went tense, and he sat up swiftly. "When? And the others?" He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "Any witnesses or suspects? Yes. Yes, I'm coming over right now." When Jaxx hung up, he was already pulling back his chair and reaching for his keys.  
  
"What happened?" Sonya inquired.  
  
"Ambush. The Devil's Destiny strikes again. Three cops are dead at the docks."  
  
"What?" Sonya asked in shock, rising to her feet.  
  
"Happened at a fishing factory. Someone had a lead, and walked into a trap." He moved through the hallway to the front door, Sonya in tow.  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
"No," Jaxx answered shortly. "I'm going to look for any evidence the attacks may have left, so why don't you check with the station. See if you can find what lead they followed. I'll swing by after." With that, he walked out the door, it clicking as it swung shut.  
  
"Do you mind staying with Kaoru again?" Sonya asked lightly.  
  
Johnny shook his head. "No. Go solve this case. The sooner we can all get back to a normal life, eh?"  
  
She nodded tightly and went for the keys to her bike.  
  
The place reeked of fish guts and blood. The dock was wet with the spray of sea salt, mingling with the cool breeze that swept inward from the rolling wave to make him shiver slightly under the hot sun. On the deck, crates of fish lay stacked against each other, covered with fishnets and cutting tools. Some wooden stands were set up to cut the fish outside, and every ten feet there was a small conveyer belt jutting out from the side of the factory.  
  
The factory itself was about thirty feet high, and perhaps the length of a football field. It's windows were dark, insisting nobody was home, except for the few police officers who walked around with dusters, bags with evidence, and cameras. Jaxx noticed Officer Dilly standing at the far doorway. Swiftly, he moved over to him, gave him an afternoon greeting, and began grilling him for details.  
  
"What have you found?"  
  
"Well," Dilly started, "We found the object that was used to work over one of the officers. It was a crowbar." Dilly winced slightly. "There was quite a bit of blood on it, and we're having it analyzed to see if any of the attacker's blood got on it as well."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Nothing?" Jaxx asked in annoyance.  
  
"No, sir. We searched the entire place, from floor to ceiling. No footprints, no finger prints, no sign of break in or break out, nothing. Who ever set this up, set it up pretty damn well, cause these guys practically vanished."  
  
Jaxx groaned. "Terrific," he muttered. "This is just fucking fantastic. No leads, no clues, no suspects, no witnesses. Damn."  
  
At that moment, three pairs of men began walking out of the building. Carried between them were three body bags.  
  
Jaxx's heart sank at Dilly's quiet moan of remorse. `More innocent civilians. God, how many have to die before we stop them?'  
  
"They were good cops," Dilly said quietly. "Always on time, always ready for duty, always got their respected cases done safely and neatly. They shouldn't have died like this."  
  
"They died doing what they loved. Their job." Jaxx's hand fell on his shoulder in a gesture of understanding before he entered the factory.  
  
Inside was just as plain and barren as the outside. Various machines were set up all around the large, open area, used for slicing fish, removing the skin, and discarding the bones. In the far corner, near the back row of windows facing the ocean, there were two women. One was taking photographs while the other was taking blood samples from the walls and floor. Jaxx winced. Even from here, he could smell the blood. As he moved closer, it became clear that the cops weren't just shot down dead, but tortured before hand. Worked over real good. Splatters of blood covered the walls in a gruesome act of modern art. Some splotches reached up at least ten feet high. Jaxx could only figure that would happen from a fast moving object that would slice into the skin, such as a chain saw. Further to the left, in sloppy hand writing, were the Japanese characters that meant devil, the trademark of the Devil's Destiny.  
  
"... four men, at least."  
  
Jaxx caught a snip of the photographer's last sentence.  
  
"Sadists. All of them. It disgusts me."  
  
"Yes, that's most certainly what these men are." Jaxx held up his badge as the women stared at him questioningly. "I would like to take a look around. Don't let me distract you from your work."  
  
"Of course, Major. But, please, don't touch anything."  
  
Jaxx grinned slightly and began moving around the corner, trying to avoid looking too closely at the amount of blood shed about. He explored every inch of the floor, and the boxes around, as well as the machinery about ten feet away, but the room was clean. Nearly spotless, if not for the blood.  
  
"Damn," he muttered softly. He stood straight, stretched a bit, and found himself lost. Not a clue in the room. And Spekly was in questioning, so he couldn't see him for information yet. Jaxx turned toward the door. A ray of sunlight beat down through the high windows, blinding him for a moment.  
  
"Ah." He stepped forward, into the shade, and blinked a few times, waiting for the spots to disappear. His foot stuck on something. Gum. "Shit." Bending over, he examined the guck on his upturned shoe... and found it to be part of a larger piece that was partially shoved under a slicing rack. Earlier, he thought it to be nothing but a stain on the floor, but as he bent closer, he found it to be something much more. With a slight tug, he pulled the rubbery material free, and held it up to the light.  
  
In the dim lit factory, a wide smile creased the Major's firm facial features.  
  
Sonya groaned and leaned forward to rest her head on her hands. Not a goddamn thing could she find, no hints to the lead, no information from the other officers. Even Spekly was out of ideas. A call from his boss, A.D. Skimp, put him on an errand that he said would probably take a while. So now she had no other source to go on for information. And she still had a feeling something was missing.  
  
She sat back in the chair in the quiet cafeteria, staring up at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. What was the point? What was this group trying to accomplish? Sonya's mind wandered. `They needed Kaoru to get into the vault, but why? Yes, there's a lot of money... but wouldn't their quarterly shipments provide more than enough money for them?  
  
`Balford was their connection for shipments arriving here. So their starting a new drug ring in the US. Fine. And they were connected to the Black Dragon. Why? Either for drugs, weapons, or both. How? Balford again.' Sonya's brow creased. `But how could a dirty actor connect to ruthless groups, and in another country, no less, when Balford lived here all his life?'  
  
Sonya shook her head. `Ok, assuming that were true, it doesn't explain why these guys want to get into the vault.' Something twitched in her mind. `What.' There was something about the vault she was forgetting. Sitting up in her chair, she called for a laptop, which one of the officers brought quickly. Connecting to the wall jack, Sonya quickly logged herself online, and looked up "Sanosuke, Mamoru." What lit up on the screen was background information, and Sonya clicked on the link for his connections to American industries. A web page came up, showing a picture of a large building in sunny San Francisco. The name of the building was Advance Studies and Technology for Drug and Chemical Analysis in San Francisco. Quickly, Sonya began to scan the article below.  
  
"Announcing the project that will soon be affecting drug lords everywhere: A new device that can pump a recently discovered chemical, korelisiac, into the blood stream, and destroy addiction. It has a chemical compound that, when combined with a certain drug, can eliminate the addiction in the body. It also has a substance that can make the body immune to the effects of any drug. This is to be used only for illegal drugs, such as heroine and cocaine. It will be performed on all drug addicts arrested and imprisoned. This saves money on counciling, and if everyone can become immune, drugs will no longer have such a drastic toll on the world.  
  
"A new security system is being put in for just this reason. Only people with fingerprint, retina, and breathalizer tests that are entered into the computer database can be allowed access into the plant. Guards will be no longer needed. High tech lasers, flamethrowers, and lockdown procedures will be used in the case of emergencies. In order for this new system to go into effect, the old system must be shut down and completely erased at the same time. Plans are being made for the entire computer system in the building to be completely shut down for a total of three minutes as the new data is logged into the computers. Though there are no confirming sources, the date of this project to be put underway has been unofficially set for July fourth."  
  
Sonya leaned back and smiled absently. `They're going to take the money for themselves, and destroy this new device, so they can stay in business. That's the motive.' At that moment, Jaxx came bursting through the door.  
  
"Sandspike."  
  
Sonya looked up, confused. "What?"  
  
"At the factory, a group of guys were dealing sandspike." An evidence bag dangled from his hand.  
  
"A group of guys connected to the big bad gang."  
  
Jaxx nodded. "Right. Only something's different. This isn't the original stuff that was brought over from Hong Kong. It's laced with alphordac, a chemical that flood the part of the brain that controls free thought."  
  
Sonya's eyebrows went up. "Someone's messing with the drug, to turn people into mindless zombies?"  
  
"It looks like it. I think the gang is trying to make slave foot soldiers."  
  
"And I think we have a target where this gang's gonna strike next." Sonya pointed to the screen of her laptop, and Jaxx came to look over her shoulder.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Here. This is where the vault is. And look at what they're making."  
  
Jaxx took a few minutes to read the article. "We need a date and time."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Dilly!"  
  
A moment later, the young officer walked in. "Yes?"  
  
"Come here for a minute, and tell me what you know about this." Jaxx gestured him over, and after reading the article, Dilly confirmed that such was to happen on July fourth, at 6:14pm. Otherwise referable as approximately 23 hours from now.  
  
"I think we're gonna need some of your best undercover officers informed and prepared ASAP," Sonya said with a vicious grin. "And if we're lucky, we gonna catch us some bad guys."  
  
Three hours passed of prep, and a distinct map was laid out of snipers and hidden officers. When all was said and done, the two special forces agents agreed that Sonya would be best staying with Kaoru for the entire day, to ensure her safety. With greetings of a goodnight's rest, the two separated to their respected destinations.  
  
"We have no more time. It happens tomorrow night. The security system is going to be knocked out for a max of three, giving us the chance for complete and unknown access to the vault. But we need the kid!"  
  
"I don't see why the hell we can't just go in there and blow off that bitch and her fake boy toy, then take the kid and go."  
  
A knife embedded itself into the table next to his hand.  
  
"Because I want her alive. I want her to follow along, every step of the way, and then let her watch her friends die, before I torture her to death."  
  
Silence thickened in the air, making the beatings of their hearts that much louder.  
  
"So what do we do?"  
  
A beat. "I want all three of them brought here. You take care of the Major, Danny gets the bitch."  
  
"And Cage?"  
  
"We'll use his girlfriend."  
  
Sonya's motorcycle slowed and came to a stop a few feet into the garage. She knocked down the kickstand and pressed for the garage door to close. Quietly, she walked into the house, her gun in hand for any unexpected visitors. The lights in the kitchen were on, and she walked slowly to the end of the hall. The place smelled of Chinese, and she noticed the dirty dishes in the sink. She shook her head and sighed mentally before proceeding up to the living room. There, she found the TV on, but on mute, and sitting on the couch she saw Johnny facing away from her. Holstering her gun, she moved around to say hi, then stepped back in shock at her findings.  
  
Nestled in his arms and sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder was Kaoru. Her small body rose with Johnny's even breathing, and Sonya smiled when she realized the actor was also asleep. He looked innocent beyond words, and Sonya could feel the fatherly bonding between adult and child. Her smile faded slightly as she continued to stare, but put those thoughts aside for later as she reached for the remote.  
  
"Ouch," she hissed softly as her shin bumped the table. `Oh, no!' Kaoru shifted and her head moved to look at Sonya through sleep-blurred eyes.  
  
"Sonya-san?" Sonya smiled.  
  
"Hi, honey. I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered. Kaoru rubbed her eyes.  
  
"It's ok. John-san and I were watching Jeopardy while we had dinner." She yawned.  
  
"And I can see it wore you two out." Sonya carefully put her hands under Kaoru's arms and gently lifted her from the slumbering fighter. "Shh," she said as she put her finger on her lips. "We don't want to wake him." Kaoru hid a giggle as Sonya quietly tiptoed them to the guestroom where Kaoru was staying. Sonya put her down and softly closed the door.  
  
"Ok, Kaoru, love. Brush your teeth, get changed, and off to bed with you." The little one pouted for a moment, but when she yawned she nodded her head and marched off. Sonya smiled again as she went back into the living room. Johnny hadn't moved, and Sonya figured it best to leave him there. She stretched and began to make her way to her room for her nightshirt.  
  
"We were comfortable, you know." Sonya stopped and turned to see Johnny smiling, though his eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved.  
  
"I'm sure, but your backs would have been screaming at you in the morning." The actor groaned as he shifted to pull his feet off the table and onto the floor. He looked at her, his smile still prominent, and ran his hands through his hair.  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for?"  
  
Sonya smiled widely and nodded. "If things go well, we'll have some of the members locked away tomorrow. Maybe we'll even have the honor of meeting this mysterious Kyoufu figure."  
  
Johnny smiled also and rose to his feet. Suddenly, a streak of pink flew across the room and into Johnny's stomach.  
  
"John-san!" Johnny faked being knocked back onto the couch with a loud uumph! Kaoru giggled and gripped his neck in a fierce hug. Johnny proceeded to act like she was strangling him, and made intermittent choking sounds that made Kaoru squeal with delight. Sonya chuckled as she watched the intimate display of affection before coming to Johnny's rescue at his pathetic plea for help.  
  
"All right, little ninja, let the man up for air," she scolded playfully. Kaoru giggled and released him to unexpectedly pounce Sonya. "Ack!"  
  
"I brushed my teeth like you asked, and I came to say `night." Kaoru let go of Sonya and stood to her feet proudly, smiling all the while. "So, `night!" Then she playfully punched Johnny in the stomach and ran off to her room, still giggling.  
  
"Oh, no you don't!" Sonya laughed whilst Johnny chased after the little Japanese girl, and Sonya followed slowly. In her room, Kaoru was trying to hide under the sheets as Johnny tickled her. She squealed and writhed on the bed, unable to get away from his tickling fingers. "Say it! Say it!"  
  
"Uncle!" she yelled from under her stuffed dog. Johnny let up and pulled back the sheets to reveal a red-faced girl with hair all over the place. She was panting slightly, but her grin was so wide it illuminated her whole face. Johnny leaned down to peck her cheek, which more than surprised Sonya. "Sleep well, Kaoru."  
  
"Oyasumi, John-san." He tucked the covers around her and slowly walked back to Sonya.  
  
"You want the night light on?" she asked. The little girl shook her head in the negative. "Ok, see you in the morning."  
  
"Oyasumi, Sonya-san." Sonya bade her goodnight, turned off the light, and closed the door halfway. When she entered the living room, Sonya turned to see Johnny click off the TV and look at her. Sonya walked toward the kitchen to do the dishes that Johnny left. Half way, though, she changed her mind and decided to leave them for the morning. She turned out the light, and headed for her room.  
  
"Getting ready for bed?" Sonya nodded then smiled at him.  
  
"I didn't know you and Kaoru would get along so well. You're really good with kids." She chuckled to herself. "Better than I thought." Much to her amusement, Johnny actually blushed and turned his head away.  
  
"Yeah, well, she's a good kid." Sonya couldn't believe it. He was actually being modest! `I wonder how long this'll last for.'  
  
"Come to think of it, Cage, you might just make a decent father one day," she joked. Johnny swiftly looked at her and grinned.  
  
"Only if I have a great wife." Sonya swallowed. His eyes were too serious for her, and she was beginning to feel unsettled. Now, to Johnny's surprise, she was turning away in embarrassment.  
  
"Well, be patient. She'll come along." Sonya turned and walked to her door. Without looking back, she called over her shoulder. "Goodnight." Sonya walked into her room and turned to shut the door when her body ran into another and she found herself immersed in a passionate embrace. Sonya's mind all but shut down as Johnny wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. When they parted, he breathed softly against her lips.  
  
"I'm not very patient, Sonya, especially when what I want is right in front of me." Sonya stared at him, at first unable to speak. "Look, whatever went wrong last time, whatever you think I did that messed everything up, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."  
  
"You didn't do anything, Johnny, but care for me too much."  
  
"Don't be scared of me, Sonya." She said nothing, but turned her head away. His fingers caressed her chin so she could face him. "Don't be afraid to trust me." Sonya's eyes seemed cold at first, and she closed them to block out his pleading expression. Slowly, her hands drifted to his neck and she kissed him on the forehead.  
  
"I do trust you," she whispered. Her face moved closer to his, and they kissed again, enjoying nothing more than the feeling of being together at last. Johnny's tongue pressed down on hers and his head spun as she kissed him back with fervor. She pressed herself against him and he groaned into her seductive mouth. Slowly, he slipped one arm from her waist to push the door closed, but only part way so they could listen for Kaoru if she needed something. Sonya didn't notice because she was concentrating too hard on trying to crawl into his skin. Johnny began to get real comfortable with her and stroked her back lightly when she suddenly pulled away and punched him in the stomach.  
  
"Shit," Johnny coughed as he tried to get his breath back. "If you don't want a back rub, next time just say something!"  
  
"No, it's not that, Johnny. It's-you're seeing someone else! Can you really forget about her so quickly?!" Johnny put a finger to his lips and shushed her severely.  
  
"Kaoru's sleeping just down the hall, Sonya!" he hissed. "Keep your voice down."  
  
"Don't change the subject."  
  
Johnny threw his arms in the air. "I'm not!"  
  
"Then answer the question!" Johnny remained silent. "Damn it, Cage, you say you want me to trust in you, but how can I if you won't even answer a simple question? You know, I thought you had changed since the tournament. I thought you actually began to care for others more than yourself. But now..."  
  
"What?" Johnny challenged her.  
  
"I don't think you ever cared. I don't think you ever gave a damn about anyone else! You're just like every other testosterone driven male: all you want is sex, right?"  
  
He seemed to stagger. Sonya drove into him mercilessly. "That's why you can just forget about your girlfriend so quickly as you try and woo me with pretty words that you probably learned for some gay ass script!"  
  
"First you tell me that you left because I cared for you too much, now you're running because I don't care enough! However did I manage to be so fucking controversial?!" he seethed as he stepped up to her, moving so close as to invade her personal space. She didn't like it, he could tell, but she had too much pride shimmering in her woodland eyes to back away.  
  
"Maybe the same way you managed to be so fucking dense as to believe that you could slip right past me like water. I'm not a dumb blonde, Johnny, and I don't like being played like one." His eyes widened, and she moved past him. He seized her wrist and pulled her back, struggling with her as she tried to free herself from his grasp.  
  
"You don't believe that," he whispered.  
  
"You have no right to tell me what I do and do not believe in," she spat back.  
  
"And you think that gives you the right to lie to my face? I haven't betrayed you, I never tried to hurt you, not once have I lied to you, and yet you insist on believing that I'm here just to wine dine sixty-nine you before hitting the road?" He chuckled without humor. "You keep harping about trust, yet you grant me the chance for none." She punched at him with her left, but her emotions were making her moves too slow, and Johnny easily caught her hand. Gently, he caressed the skin on her palm with his thumb as he brought her knuckles to his lips. He kissed each one in turn before he continued. "Sonya, if there's one thing I can promise you, it'll be that you can trust me. You can run to me whenever you need help, and I'll be there for you. I will protect you when you're scared, and comfort you when you are broken. When you feel lonely, I will love you, and when you feel chained, I will set you free." Sonya bowed her head and stared at the floor.  
  
"Johnny-"  
  
"But what I want to know, what I need to believe, is will you do the same for me?" He moved his head and put his forehead to hers. "Can I trust you to be my savior when I need one?"  
  
"What about Nise?" Sonya whispered weakly. Johnny stood silently for a moment. Then his shoulders dropped as he sighed heavily.  
  
"Nise left me." Sonya pulled away swiftly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She walked out the night of the fire. She thought I was cheating on her." He paused as he smiled shyly. "With you."  
  
Sonya stared at him, and her eyes flickered with anger. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Would you have let me live it down?" he scoffed. "You're supposed to hate me beyond belief, and I figured telling you would just provide ammunition in your on going quest to make me feel like shit."  
  
That stung. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to see him bleed on the floor. And then she wanted to kiss him. "Ugh!" She pounded his chest and glared. "Damn you, Cage!"  
  
It wasn't until he said it that he winced inwardly. Yeah, Cage, that's one way to make everything better. He stared at her, waiting for her to knock him down and beat him to a pulp. He watched her fists clench and her teeth grind. Then her eyes grew dull, and the fire suddenly disappeared. Her hands sunk to her sides and her head fell to her chest.  
  
"Sonya?"  
  
"My God. Oh, how could I have been such a bitch?" Johnny bent his knees to look into her eyes. They were misting over.  
  
"No, Sonya, it-I didn't help at all. Hell, I know I made things worse. I didn't mean what I said. I wasn't thinking." Sonya's hand stopped him. Her head lifted, and she looked carefully into his eyes. Her next words shocked him into a dumb state.  
  
"I'm sorry." Johnny was so stunned he nearly fell over backwards. Out of all the times they shared together, be it good, bad, fantastic, or downright frustrating, not once did Sonya apologize to him. After his moment of brain malfunction, Johnny got his body to work properly again. She apologized. She was being sincere. And Johnny couldn't have been happier.  
  
"Whoo!" Johnny suddenly picked her up and whirled her around like a child. Sonya gasped then laughed. When he put her down, he swept her into him, and he kissed her like it was the last time he would ever see her again. Sonya responded fully and passionately, and Johnny wanted to weep with joy. Swiftly, without breaking the kiss, he lifted her and put her down on the bed, pressing her down into the sheets with his weight as they struggled with their clothes. In moments, the obstructions of cloth were tossed over the dresser, the mirror, and the rest fell on the floor in unconcerned heaps.  
  
A gentle rain pelted against the window as Johnny stared into the darkness of the bedroom. His breathing was even, but his thoughts were chaotic. Sonya shifted in her sleep, and snuggled tighter into his side. His arms pulled her against him, and he heard her sigh softly. Gently, he placed his hand upon her silky blonde hair. With each stroke through her golden locks his heart grew heavier. Never before had a woman put him under such a painful pleasure when it came to love. Not even his ex-wife had affected him so drastically. His heart beat only for her, and it terrified him. Johnny understood the kind of work Sonya was apart of, and how every time she went on a mission, there was always the underlying danger of her not returning. She cheated death so many times he wondered with a growing dread how much longer he would have her at his side. His breath caught and his eyes fell shut. `At his side.' Once again, she lay beside him, but for how long would she remain there?  
  
"Please God, I don't want to lose her again," he whispered to himself. He kissed her forehead and let himself slide a bit more under the covers before drifting into an uneasy sleep. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the heroes, and I'm glad I don't, cause I don't like to share and then no one else would get to play with the gang, would they? Hmmm, my first step in world domination....  
  
The sun reflected brightly around the room, and Kaoru yawned as she stretched and moved out of the bed. The alarm clock read 9:37. Kaoru stared in shock. Never before had she slept this late. Usually the smell of breakfast woke her up about 8:15. Slowly she made her way out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. No one was there. Then she proceeded to John's room. She knocked lightly, and pushed the door open. No one was there either! Kaoru began to panic. She didn't like being alone, especially when bad people were chasing after her. Feet padding quickly across the carpeted floor, she ran to Sonya's room. The door was ajar, and she pushed it open. Her mouth dropped in shock, but soon spread into a wide smile. Like herself last night, Sonya-san was asleep in John's arms, who was laying back against the pillows and looking terribly comfortable. Quietly she tiptoed out of the room and shut the door.  
  
"Well, it's about time," she whispered to herself, then walked back to the kitchen to make a bowl of cereal. She noticed the dishes in the sink, and chided the bad manners of John, leaving his mess for Sonya to clean up. So, pulling over a chair when she finished her cereal, she filled the sink with water and began to wipe the dishes. Then the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Good morning, Kaoru. This is Jaxx."  
  
"Hi, Jaxx-sama!"  
  
"How are you doing today?"  
  
"Good, and you?"  
  
"Very good, thank you." Jaxx laughed at her so polite manners. "Is Sonya or Johnny there?"  
  
"Yes, but they're both sleeping. Would you like me to wake them?"  
  
"No need, sweets. I'll take it." Kaoru turned to see Johnny running his fingers through his hair and only wearing a pair of sweat pants as he walked over to pick up the phone.  
  
"Oh, nevermind. Here's John-san now." She handed him the phone, and he rubbed her head.  
  
"Forget about the dishes, go watch some TV." She grinned and ran out of the room. Kids. He put the phone to his ear. "Hey, what's up man?"  
  
"Sleeping in today?" Johnny smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you have no idea how much one little girl can wear you down." Jaxx laughed.  
  
"That's why I left her to you guys. Listen, I received a phone call today, from Nise. She's apparently in hiding. Says she needs to talk to you urgently." Johnny's mouth curved down, and he closed his eyes.  
  
"Is she all right?"  
  
"She sounds fine, but scared. I think someone's coming after her. We tried to trace the call, but she hung up before we could complete it. Said she'd call again at 10 this morning, but she'll only talk to you." Johnny looked at the clock on the wall.  
  
"Damn, that only gives me fifteen minutes!"  
  
"Then run. Spekly said he'll come over to keep an eye on Kaoru for you, if Sonya wants to come."  
  
"All right, man. Send him over. I'll be there as soon as I can." Johnny hung up then raced down the hall to his room. He threw on a t-shirt and shoes before grabbing his keys and running to the living room. Sonya walked out of the bathroom, and looked at him confused.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kaoru looked up from the TV, her concentration on the Power Rangers completely gone.  
  
"Jaxx called. Says Nise is trying to get in touch with me. She's gonna call, and I wanna be there for her." Sonya's look of doubt and distrust didn't go unnoticed by Johnny. He stepped closer and gently caressed her elbows. "Jaxx said she was upset and scared, and I think she's in trouble. It's possible these people who are after Kaoru are using her to get to either of us. I just don't want her caught up in this." His eyes pleaded with Sonya to believe him, and a moment later she nodded her head.  
  
"Okay." Sonya took off her robe and threw it toward the couch as she turned to go to her room.  
  
"Give me five minutes."  
  
"Wait. We can't leave Kaoru here alone. Spekly is coming over to watch her. Once he gets here, then you come down to the station." He gave Kaoru a quick kiss on the head before grasping Sonya's chin to steal a kiss from her. "I'll see you soon." With that, he raced out the door and to his porche. Sonya looked out the window at him, and back to Kaoru who started giggling.  
  
"What's so funny, munchkin?"  
  
"John-san's in love," Kaoru sing-songed. Sonya blushed then softly tossed a couch pillow at the girl sprawled in front of the television. She squealed and ducked, then tossed one of her own at Sonya. A pillow fight ensued.  
  
Nearly hitting ten or so pedestrians, Johnny pulled into the Frisco police station with a minute to spare. When he ran into the door, he was handed a cup of coffee from Jaxx as the phone rang. Johnny took a sip as Officer Dilly picked up the phone.  
  
"Yes, one moment." He handed the phone to Jaxx.  
  
"This is Major Jackson. Yes, yes he is." Jaxx looked at Johnny before handing over the phone. Johnny braced himself inwardly.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Johnny, oh thank God. I've never been so scared. I need your help, please, you have to save me. They're gonna kill me if they find where I am!" Johnny's heart sank at the tears in her trembling voice.  
  
"Nise, Nise, babe, slow down. Who's after you?"  
  
"I can't explain it, they're looking for me right now. Come down to the marina, dock 57, I'm hiding on a friend's yacht. Come quickly, please!" The phone went dead.  
  
"Nise? Nise!" Johnny put the phone down. "Jaxx, call Sonya. Let her know I'm going down to the marina, dock 57. Nise is waiting for me there."  
  
"No way, man, I'm coming with you on this. You ain't going alone." Another detective suddenly barged into the office.  
  
"Major Briggs, sir. Balford's been spotted down on Freeliy and Wayside." Jaxx moved his eyes from the Detective to Johnny.  
  
"Officer Dilly, Officer Howard, accompany Johnny to the marina. I'll call Sonya, she'll meet you there. Then I'll go after Balford." The others nodded in agreement, and the three were out the door while Jaxx phoned Sonya.  
  
"Hello?" a warm voice answered.  
  
"Hey, Spekly, Johnny's got a location on Nise and Balford's been spotted in town. Is Sonya there?"  
  
"Yeah, she was just about to leave for the station."  
  
"Scratch that. Johnny wants her at the marina, dock 57. You stay with Kaoru, you're the best one to protect her for right now."  
  
"She couldn't be in better hands. I'll relay the message. Take care when going after Balford, he's a tricky bastard." Spekly hung up and his calm smile spread into an unsettling grin. He turned to face Sonya, who lay bound and gagged on the floor. Kaoru lay next to her, whimpering slightly.  
  
"But he's not as tricky as I am." Sonya struggled, but her head wound was causing her to black out, and the last she saw was Spekly wrapping a blindfold over her eyes.  
  
"We saw him enter that building," Moul whispered. "That was twenty minutes ago. We've been sitting here waiting for him to come out or for someone to show up, but nothin's happened yet.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's an abandoned factory, used for textile back in the `50s." Dougard and Moul kneeled next to Jaxx, their guns in hand as Jaxx surveyed the area.  
  
"Any particular reason he'd want to be in there?"  
  
"It's apparently one of the buildings he wanted to buy, but the deal fell through because he was offered something better," Moul answered.  
  
"Perhaps he's changed his mind."  
  
"Or he's using it for his weekly drug meets," Dougard cut in.  
  
"Well, let's go find out gentleman." Cautiously they approached the decaying building, and slipped in a side door they found unlocked. Jaxx moved his flashlight about the interior to find the place completely empty but for some large boxes and a few rusted machines.  
  
"Where do you want us to go?" Dougard whispered. Jaxx pointed at him, then up to the top level of the room where there were several scaffoldings. Jaxx then pointed at Moul and directed him toward the far end, leading off to a vacant office. The three split, and Jaxx headed for the machinery. They were at least 40 years old, and were covered in spider webs. There was a steady dripping sound coming from a weaver, and Jaxx moved the beam of light over the different pipes. There, he saw a liquid pooling on the floor. He stepped closer, and pressed his fingers into it. Blood. A hand fell in front of his face, and he jumped back with a start. Hovering over him was a mutilated body pushed down on the various needles used for weaving all the way to where they protruded from his body. His face was covered in blood, and part of his skull was missing.  
  
"Fuck me," he whispered. A gunshot turned his attention to the scaffolding above him, and he saw Dougard running after a dark shadow.  
  
"Freeze, police!" Two more gunshots, a low grunt, and a body toppled over the railing to crash onto a crate below.  
  
"Dougard!" Jaxx shouted, but received no reply. He ran over to the body, turned it over, and stared into Dougard's lifeless eyes. An axe was embedded into his chest. "Shit!" Gunfire erupted around him, and another scream reached his ears. Suddenly, the office down at the end of the room burst in flames.  
  
"Moul!" Jaxx ran toward the flaming debris and watched in horror as a body ran out, covered in fire. He took a few steps then collapsed to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Jaxx felt something pierce his thigh, and he grunted as he dropped to the ground. He reached around and pulled a dart from his leg. A tranquilizer dart.  
  
"Fuckin... ambush." Nearby, three people came into Jaxx's hazing view, and one knelt next to him.  
  
"Fell right into our hands. How nice of you to work along so brilliantly." Balford chuckled and Jaxx felt himself being lifted up as he slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
Johnny proceeded slowly to the dock, the two cops staying behind some crates and out of sight. The yacht was floating quietly in the water, and he swiftly climbed up the ladder and over the railing. His first place to check was the cabins, but he found nothing. A shallow clang caught his attention, and he opened the door to the engine room.  
  
"Nise?" he called out softly as he moved down the stairs. "Nise, you down here?"  
  
"Johnny?" There was a slight sniffle, and Johnny moved around a bunch of electrical cables to find the Australian beauty curled up in a ball, looking at him through strands of dark hair that covered her face. In a few strides, he was kneeling next to her and hugging her tightly.  
  
"Hey, it's all right. Let's get you out of here." She nodded and they stood.  
  
"Yes, please, before they find us."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"The Unmei no Akuma. They want something from me."  
  
"What?" he asked as he began to climb the stairs, looking around carefully for anyone who may have followed either of them here.  
  
"You." Johnny paused as he turned to face her, but was knocked down when something heavy smashed into his face. His head hit the metal steps, and his vision swam. He groaned and looked up into Nise's smiling face.  
  
"And as their leader, I have to follow through with their wishes." Her arm rose above her head, and he watched a metal object glint for a second in her hand before it came cruising across his face again, and he sank into darkness.  
  
"Oh, God." Pain. Bleeding. Immobile. Where? Fuck!  
  
"I think someone's wakin' up." Bright... too bright. "Welcome back, bitch." Pain burst across her face as she was slapped hard. Sonya groaned into a cloth bound around her mouth. Next to her, someone whimpered. Kaoru! Sonya struggled a bit at her bonds, but they were too tight and she could feel the pieces of rope biting into her skin. Slowly, her vision came back to her; she looked up and noticed three people hovering above. They were standing with their backs to a light hanging from the ceiling, concealing their identities in shadow. The voices sounded familiar to her, though...  
  
"What should we do with her now?" A gruff voice... slightly distorted... but then again, Sonya wasn't back to a complete conscious state.  
  
"First, we get into the account. Once we're done with that, then we'll kill them all, and dump'em." A sexy voice, seductive, with a foreign accent. Despite her condition, Sonya recognized it immediately. Suddenly, there was a caress on her cheek from a soft hand; warm breath tickled her neck. "Or maybe we'll burn them... alive."  
  
Nise... fucking bitch!  
  
She stood up and snapped her fingers. "Hulia, Checko, get the brat. We've got a profit to earn."  
  
"What of her?" That from the first dark figure... Holy shit. Balford?  
  
"Keep her here. Perhaps Danny can keep her entertained... or is it the other way around?" Sonya's heart sank as she remembered what happened at Johnny's penthouse. How Spekly hit her from behind in the bedroom, knocking her half-conscious. Then he tied her up, and Kaoru as well. She was screaming. The phone call he made... they'd have to trace that rat bastard here. Please God, let them trace Spekly to Kaoru.  
  
"Oh yeah, I think the two of us can stay amused." The third shadow chuckled, and Sonya knew it was Spekly. Apparently, he was a part of Balford's group... that fuck, he'd been playing them the whole time.  
  
"And of your boy toy?" What? Oh, no. Nise's voice suddenly went hard, bitter, and cold.  
  
"Since he seems to care for this bitch's..." Nise emphasized by kicking Sonya hard in the ribs. She rolled onto her side. "...Company more than mine, he can die with her. That fake has outlived his usefulness anyway." Sonya growled into the gag.  
  
"Very well, boss." Boss? I thought Balford was- Sonya's thoughts left her as she was kicked again, this time in the lower stomach. A deep moan escaped her, and she tried to crawl away to protect herself, but she was yanked back by her hair.  
  
"Oh, no, my sweet, sexy, and well endowed lady." A voice, Spekly's, whispered in her ear as his hand gently traced her breast. "You can't leave, after I've planned so much." Sonya's rage went into over load as his fingers kept moving about her body, making her sick and homicidal.  
  
"She's a feisty one, Danny, so I bet she's the type of girl who likes it rough. Have fun with her. That's probably the only thing she's good for anyway." Suddenly, Sonya's gag was pulled away. "Right?" Nise chuckled into her face.  
  
"You may be right, slut. Why else would you think he left you for me? Oh, that's right, cause he mentioned you were the lousiest lay he's ever had!" Nise glared with anger and back fisted her, causing Sonya's head to snap to the side with a painful slap. Despite the blood gushing from her split lip, Sonya smiled cruelly. `That struck a nerve.'  
  
"Spekly, I don't care what you do to the fucking ho, just make sure it hurts, and that she stays alive. I've my own plans for this... skank. Balford, let's go. Time to collect our earnings." With that, the two walked away, and Sonya looked up at the dark shadow looming over her.  
  
"And it's play time for me," Spekly whispered sickly in her ear. Struggling against her bonds left her wrist and ankles bleeding, but her panic began to rise as he pulled out a long knife... a sharp long knife. "Just lay still, Sonya baby, this will only hurt if you move."  
  
"No," Sonya gasped. "No!" The blade came closer to her and began to cut away at her shirt. When she jumped trying to move away, she cut herself, and Sonya hissed in pain as her skin began to separate and ooze with blood.  
  
"Tsk, tsk. Don't you listen?" Slowly, deliberately, Spekly cut her shirt open and left the scraps fall to he side. Spekly let out a low whistle as his eyes roamed over her luscious body, hard and toned. "You certainly are going to be the most enjoyable rape I've had so far." Sonya screamed again. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: As it's been awhile, I would just like to remind the kind public who actually put up with my faulty storyline that most of the characters (like the heroes) are not mine, sad but true.  
  
  
  
When Jaxx woke, it was to a white room. A white room with no furniture. And no windows. And to a rather annoying snore coming from his left. On the floor.  
  
"Shit…" Realizing his hands were bound, he scanned a quick flashback on his predicament, and shifted his head to look at the bruised actor sleeping next to him. "Johnny?"  
  
"Not here," he mumbled back.  
  
"Johnny!"  
  
There was a quiet snort as the actor shifted, rolled over, and cuddled next to Jaxx. "Go back to sleep, babe."  
  
"CAGE! DAMNIT, GET YOUR FACE OFF MY SHOULDER!" Jaxx roughly shoved him and tried to scoot away, but it was difficult with his legs being tied at the thighs and calves. As he couldn't really move away, he opted for giving Johnny a hard kick for good measure.  
  
"OW! Jesus!" Jumping with a start, the tall fighter rolled onto his back and sat up. Through half lidded eyes he glared at Jaxx. "What the hell was that for?!"  
  
"For not keeping your hands to yourself, you perverted freak!"  
  
"My hands are to myself, you dumbass, they're tied behind my back!" Johnny paused as he said this. "Hey, why are my hands tied behind my back?" He looked down to see his legs bound also. "Hey! What the he-" He stopped.  
  
"Remember now?" Jaxx inquired.  
  
"Nise," Johnny whispered. "That… BITCH!" Suddenly furious, he began to sputter. "She set me up! That lying whore! Damn it, what the hell is going on?!" He reeled his head to face the Major. "And what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
"Ambushed," Jaxx answered with a distracted shrug as his eyes roamed. "Balford set a trap. Now we're stuck here."  
  
Johnny sighed. "All right. Any idea on where we are."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Joy."  
  
"Yep."  
  
A dramatic pause. "Well, now what?"  
  
"Get into my boot."  
  
Another pause, accompanied by a disgusted look of confusion. "Eh, what?"  
  
"Try and get your hand in my boot, I keep a switchblade in there, for emergencies."  
  
"Oh." Johnny shrugged. "All right, which boot?"  
  
"Left."  
  
"Ok." The room became silent except for the shuffling of bodies, and a few grunts as Johnny tried to get his hand inside the thick leather. "Where?" he breathed out as the ropes bit into his skin.  
  
"Uh, a little farther down… hey! Quit feeling up my leg!"  
  
"Quit squirming!"  
  
"Man, I don't get paid enough for this job," Jaxx hissed.  
  
Ten minutes later, the door unlocked and opened.  
  
"What?!" The punk made no other sound as he was knocked to the floor by a large falling object. A second man ran in, but was knocked back into the hall by a sharp sidekick to the throat. He slid to the floor and didn't move again.  
  
"How did you manage to keep yourself up there?" Johnny asked as he looked up at the smooth ceiling.  
  
"I got muscle, Cage. Something you seem to be lacking," Jaxx smirked.  
  
"What I lack in strength, I make up for in beauty." Cage struck a pose that tore a groan from the bigger man.  
  
"I walked into that one." He leaned down and picked up a set of keys and a magnum from the first punk. Johnny was already cleaning the second, and was dragging him into the cell. After that, they closed the door, locked it, and made their way down the hall.  
  
Not too long (and a couple more knocked down perps) after, Johnny and Jaxx came to an open garage. Walking quietly on the catwalk, the two fighters looked down upon a large number of people scurrying around with boxes and weapons. A white van was parked in the center, and crates were being loaded with precise timing. Off to the right, a small group were standing in a circle and talking avidly.  
  
"What can you make out?" Johnny asked.  
  
"Three males. Can't see their faces. Too far." Something light was pressed into his hands. Jaxx looked down to see a pair of binoculars.  
  
"Got'em off that dead ringer in the hall."  
  
Jaxx smiled lightly and peeked down below. "Ok, one guy looks like he's maintenance, the next…"  
  
"Yeah?" Johnny craned his head to look farther down.  
  
"Balford. Next is Balford. And then… huh, some brunette."  
  
"Lemme see!" Johnny grabbed the binoculars and peered down. "Nise. She is working with them." Johnny lowered the specs and closed his eyes.  
  
Jaxx looked to his companion, and nudged his shoulder. "Hey. Yous was better off with Sonya." He gave Johnny a smile that soon faded as there was a sharp, high pitched scream from below. It was quickly muffled, but not before Johnny could see Kaoru being stuffed into the back of the truck.  
  
"NO!" Johnny suddenly leaped to his feet, jumped over the railing of the catwalk to the stack of boxes below, which caused them to topple onto a crew of gang members standing nearby.  
  
"SEIZE HIM!" Nise screamed at the top of her lungs, and all hell broke loose as gunfire and sirens blared around the room.  
  
"Shit!" Jaxx hissed as he pulled out his magnum and shot down three men who had attempted to reach the catwalk. He noticed Nise and Balford racing toward the van, and the garage door beginning to close.  
  
Below, Johnny struggled to get the crates off of him as two men jumped him from the back. Around him, wood splintered and snapped, and he hissed at the small lacerations he was beginning to receive. But with a roll and flip, he managed to dispose of the two men with clubs before they even realized he had overpowered them. A wicked grin flashed over his face as he began to mentally list the prey gathering around him. He studied their moves, calculated their positions, and planned his attack. Two on the left, four on the right, one down the center. And all lined up like the bracks in a pinball machine. One on his left began moving toward him, and he kicked at a crate on the floor that when flying into the perp's face. He fell back into the second guy just as two from the right charged him. Johnny blocked the punch from the left, the jab from the right, the kick to the stomach, but stumbled from the blow to his skull. The pain in his neck left him vulnerable, and a crowbar smacked into his ribs, making him cry out and roll. As the crowbar came down again, Johnny grabbed a plank of wood and managed to catch the hook of the bar into the wood. Spinning the wood around, the attack lost his grip and was unprepared for the end of the crowbar to dig itself into his leg, right above his knee. He screamed and fell as Johnny stood, kicked, and knocked down two more attackers from behind. Then he jumped up on a faulty crate that slid and threw him onto a large hanging net. Using his momentum, he kicked a shooter down as he swung across the room. When he landed, he dived into a doorway as bullets pounded into the stainless steel walls around him.  
  
Jaxx raced down the catwalk toward the massive garage door as the van revved its engine and screeched toward the fast closing exit. Steadying his arm, he aimed, held his breath, and shot out the two front tires of the van, making it swerve dangerously and spin around in a wide arc, running over another three gang members caught up in the fray. A patch of oil made the van skid sharply to the left, and the tail end crashed into a generator, that caused a shower of sparks to go up, and a moment later there was a loud explosion that knocked several men down. The generator went up in flames and smoke, setting off the sprinklers and making the rest of the gang run for cover.  
  
To his left, Jaxx caught a glimpse of a figure running toward the van, and began screaming his head off as Johnny jumped around the burning crates and patches of enflamed oil. Unable to do nothing more than watch, Jaxx prayed as Johnny threw the body out of the driver's seat and jumped into the van. At that moment, an explosion went off below the catwalk, and Jaxx tumbled as the right side of the metal walkway dropped.  
  
"SHIT!" Jaxx fell and gripped the grates as he dangled precariously over a large fire that was rapidly spreading around the room. He absently noticed a group of men surrounded by the flames, and winced as they were slowly consumed, their screams mingling with the crackling of wood and the pitter of water falling in sheets. Carefully, he dug his feet into the metal panels and began to climb up to the doorway.  
  
But the intense heat from the flames below made his hands slick with sweat, and his tight grip was failing him. Looking frantically around, he could find no way out, when he spotted a large barrel set on a wooden ladder that hadn't been knocked over or set aflame. Through the sweat dripping in his eyes, he could barely make out the letters W-A-T. He just managed a smile when one hand slipped off, and he was floundering in the air. He reached for the magnum in his belt, aimed at the closest leg of the ladder, and fell just as he fired off two rounds. The smoke swallowed him and he grunted as he hit the floor hard. A scream passed his lips when the flames licked at his skin, but seconds later there was a loud wooshing sound and the orange and red tongues sizzled down as the water rolled over them from the collapsed barrel.  
  
"Thank you, God." He carefully stood and looked for Johnny. Over near the shut garage door, the van stood black and crackling, but he could see no one. It wasn't until a glimpse of movement caught his attention from the right that he noticed a thin figure slip through a doorway, a struggling body hanging from her arms. A moment later, a slightly singed and red toned Johnny went tearing through the door after her. Balford came by not a moment later, a gun glinting in his hand. Jaxx made a beeline for the door, and joined the chase, leaving the fire to burn and to get the attention of the police.  
  
  
  
Spekly lowered the knife to the floor, moved in on her again, and pressed his lips to her collarbone as Sonya struggled to get away. A cry escaped her as he bit hard, splitting the skin. When Spekly lifted his head, she watched in disgust as her blood rolled in thin lines from his lips and down his chin. Whatever feelings of humane reasoning she may have felt for him before were completely gone. Now, she only felt searing hatred, and she prayed to any God who would listen that this man would have enough sense to bail the hell out of here if she ever got out of her bonds.  
  
Spekly dipped his head to lick the blood away before kissing the wound. "Did I hurt you, love?"  
  
Sonya glared at him coldly in response.  
  
"No?" he asked with a smile. "Let me try again." And his fist drove into her lower abdomen. When her body jerked up, he leaned back and slapped her. Her head smacked to the floor, and she groaned softly. "Better?"  
  
"You fuck," she spat. Sonya forced her eyes open, focusing on the twisted smile that she was ready to mash beyond recognition.  
  
"Yes, I fuck a lot. And I plan to fuck you right now." Sonya's hip jumped as his hands began working at the belt that held up her spandex pants.  
  
'Oh, no. Oh, I don't think so.' Sonya's eyes searched the room in frenzied glances as her mind tried to come up with a plan that would stop him. It wasn't until a moment later that she realized he was watching her intently, and the look of lust and danger in his eyes finally set off an idea in her mind.  
  
"Don't stop," she whispered softly.  
  
"What?" Spekly's voice was also soft, but confused at her quiet confession.  
  
"Please," she said brokenly, as she forced herself to shed some tears. "Don't stop yet."  
  
Spekly blinked before removing his hands from the waist of her pants. He sat back on his heels and stared at her. A tentative hand reached out, shaky and unsure, to close softly around her breast.  
  
Despite the repulsive feeling swelling in her stomach, Sonya forced herself to move into his hand, and moan carefully. She noticed his mouth twitch, and his hand squeezed tightly around her soft flesh, purposely hurting her as much as possible. Instead of screaming in pain, she lowered her voice to a deep, erotic moan that made Spekly's eyes widen, and his mouth spread to a large appreciative smile.  
  
"You like that?" he asked darkly, surprise tainting his words.  
  
She turned her face and nodded, feinting shame. When she felt his weight press into her, she moved herself against him and moaned again, speaking his name like it was a sin. "Oh, God!"  
  
Spekly moved his hands down her sides while he worked his lips over her neck and ear. "I knew you'd like this, you little slut. It was so evident from the first time I saw you how much of a whore you really are."  
  
Sonya hissed when he bit her again, and as she shifted under his pressing weight, she felt her fingers slice open on something. Mistaking her small cry for pleasure, Spekly continued to kiss her without distraction. Sonya moved her hands carefully under her pinned body and picked up the knife that somehow made its way to her fingers. She grabbed the blade and began sawing away at the ropes, all the while faking enjoyment from Spekly's sick game of rape. As his hands began to peel away her sports bra, the ropes broke and she grinned wickedly at him.  
  
"Hey, baby," she whispered seductively. "Do you like getting pain as much as giving it?"  
  
When Spekly looked up to answer, Sonya's hand sliced through the air, and he cried out as the knife cut a line across his face, right below the eyes. He fell, and Sonya quickly set to work on the ropes around her ankle. Before Spekly could get to his feet, Sonya was on him like a tiger to fresh prey.  
  
Sonya lost track of how long she was hitting him, her fists and feet aiming for any part that she could see was not bruised or bleeding. It wasn't until a dull explosion and the release of the fire sprinklers pulled her away from him, and by that time he was unconscious, and probably half-dead. Not that it made any difference to her, he deserved every hit. She leaned over and picked up the knife from the floor, flipped it in the air, and swung it down toward Spekly's heart.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Sonya looked up sharply. "Kaoru!" Another scream set Sonya on her feet and racing toward the nearest door. In the hall, she slipped on the stream of water from the ceiling, but paid no heed as her feet kept moving. A third scream, and Sonya had narrowed the location down to within 50 feet from her. She turned to the right down a wide passage, and burst through the double doors into the warm evening air. By the setting of the sun, it was close to six pm. Ahead of her was a double dock, with a yatch and two speed boats bobbing in the water. Sonya realized with a second thought that they were at a factory. Probably one owned by Balford. A moment later she spotted two figures on the move about twenty feet away climbing onto the yacht. One had long dark hair, the second was small and fighting every step.  
  
"Stop it you fucking brat!" Nise's hand flew across Kaoru's face, and the girl cried out again.  
  
Knife in hand, Sonya's eyes turned to slits as she stalked down the wooden steps and quietly jumped on board the vessel, still unnoticed by Nise or Kaoru. As Nise pressed her hand onto a special keypad to get inside the cabin, Sonya threw her arm forward. With a quick twist of her arm, Sonya sent the knife flying through the air and right into the center of Nise's palm.  
  
Nise screamed in surprise and pain, and only had a moment to notice what had happened before she was back fisted, the knife was ripped from her hand, and her shoulder became a blaze of heat as the knife was buried to the hilt below her collarbone.  
  
"Doesn't it suck when nothing goes your way?" Sonya yanked the knife from Nise's shoulder, turned the Australian around, and thrust her head against the wall, splitting it open across the brow. She collapsed to her knees.  
  
"Sonya-san!" Kaoru ran forward and jumped into Sonya's embrace, but was soon pushed away at the Lieutenant's insistence.  
  
"Kaoru. Get off the ship and hide. I'll find you. Go!"  
  
Without the slightest plea, Kaoru turned and ran. Sonya began to stand but was forced down by a large weight. Nise's hand seized her wrist, and worked the knife free and over the edge of the deck. If it made a splash, Sonya did not know as her heart thundered in her ears.  
  
"I had plans to deal with you later, but since you're so persistent…" Nise snarled and grabbed a handful of Sonya's hair, yanked it back hard, and thrust something into Sonya's exposed throat, making her choke and gasp. The blunt object came down for another blow, and Sonya began to see stars. She reached up behind her and grabbed what she assumed was Nise's ear, and pulled.  
  
The sudden pain in the side of her head made Nise yelp and fall over. Soon, Sonya was on top of her, pinning her at the waist, and Nise's head flopped from side to side with each landing blow. She managed to swing her arm up and hit Sonya across the cheek with her gun, and the lieutenant fell back.  
  
Nise was the first one to her feet, and with her gun trained on Sonya, she had the upper hand and knew it. So what was a little gloating?  
  
"I had wanted to draw this out for as long as possible, Lt. Blade," she mocked. "I had such wonderful plans of torture that I'm sure you're familiar with, seeing how you studied the Black Dragon like the Pope studies the Bible. But then I'd share with you a few new ones that my fellow group members came up with. It was going to be a lot of fun. But I don't suppose I can convince you into trying it out, eh?"  
  
Sonya stared at her for a few minutes, when realization reared its unexpected head. "You're Kyoufu?" It wasn't Balford after all. It was Johnny's fucking girlfriend?!  
  
"Surprised?" she smirked. "You know, after all he told me about you, I'd have thought you woulda picked it up a lot sooner."  
  
"Who?" Sonya asked, stalling for time. "Johnny?"  
  
Nise/Kyoufu laughed. "That narcassitic bastard? You must be joking." A cold smile passed over her. "No, he had no part in this. Except to keep me amused. I really only kept him alive for the sex." Her eyes glinted cruelly. "And to piss you off."  
  
Sonya's brow furrowed despite her intention of remaining expressionless. "Just what the hell do you have against me?"  
  
"You fucking ruin everything!" Kyoufu suddenly screamed, making Sonya jump a bit. "Everything was going just fine, we were becoming more powerful, and you had to go and fucking kill him! You had to break his fucking neck, and trust me when I say, your death won't be quite as quickly!"  
  
Sonya's eyes widened as her words sunk in. Her blood ran cold as the pieces began to fit. "Kano," she whispered icily. And Sonya nearly doubled over at the blow her mind tossed to her. Kyoufu was the leader of the Devil's Destiny in Japan, while Kano was the leader of the Black Dragon in Hong Kong. And they were working together to make a super gang to take over their respective countries, before expanding to take over the world. And they were both Austrailian. And they both had the same hard features, the same cold streak, the same blood…  
  
"You're related," Sonya stated softly, the shock sending her into a confused, numbing state.  
  
Kyoufu's smile turned sharkish. "She finally catches on." And suddenly Sonya was swept, landing hard on her back with Kyoufu's heel digging into her ribs and the gun pointed right between her eyes. "Took you long enough, lieutenant. I honestly cannot understand what my brother saw in you." She snorted. "You're nothing like the great adversary he always bragged about. I guess your little 'boy toy' has softened you up." Her face split in a dazzling toothy smile before she continued. "And while I wish I could have more time to make your pain as lasting as possible, I'll just have to settle with the look on Johnny's face when he learns you're dead. Then I'll take him back in my arms, he'll fall in love with me again, we'll get married, and then I'll break the news that he's been fucking his one true love's murderer, just before I frame him for a crime that will give him life imprisonment, where he can wallow in self misery for the rest of his pathetic life. And then I'll take all his money and expand my group in the conquest of world domination." Kyoufu laughed again.  
  
Sonya had never felt such anger. Never before did she know such hatred, except when she thought of Kano. When she snapped that bastard's neck, she though it was over. Quite sadly, she was wrong. Now, she had to deal with his warped sister. And it really pissed her off. What a day.  
  
"Such a pity. You may have been good in your time, my dear, but it had to come to an end. It's only fair that I bring to justice my brother's unfair death with your own." Sonya choked a bit more as the boot continued to crush down on her throat, making her blind with lack of air.  
  
"Go fuck yourself," she growled. Nise laughed as she cocked the gun and pointed it at Sonya's head.  
  
"Nah, I think I'll let Johnny take care of that. I guess it's true what they say about blondes: you really are fucking morons." With that, Nise pressed the cold barrel between Sonya's eyes. "Say hi to Kano in hell." She pulled the trigger. 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Thank you kindly.  
  
Note: To Sonya fans: I apologize if you feel cheated this chapter. While Sonya does have a fight, it's not that detailed, cause if you read Johnny's fight, uh, he got most of the action, and I ran out of fight ideas that wouldn't be repetitive. I didn't really mean for it to work out that way, maybe I'll fix it sometime (though not likely), it's just that I had originally intended for this thing to be a big long fight chapter… and my motivation kind of died. So again, I apologize. PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!  
  
  
  
Balford lost track of Johnny and Kyoufu, so instead rerouted to the storage room where Spekly was keeping their special guest busy. He opened the door to find Lt. Blade gone and Spekly curled in a heap on the floor.  
  
"Danny!" Checking over him, and slapping him a few times, Balford managed to rouse him from his unconscious state. "Danny, get up."  
  
"Fuck, Rick, what the hell-"  
  
"Apparently, our captives have flown the coop, so to speak. And it looks like our little ray of sunshine here wasn't too thrilled with your form of entertainment."  
  
"What about the kid?" Spekly asked as he steadied himself on his feet. As Balford began to answer, Spekly noticed movement to the left, and threw himself against his companion, carrying them both to the floor as the bullet lodged itself into the wall above.  
  
"Shit!" Balford turned on his back and fired at the Major who had tailed him to the storage room.  
  
In the hall, Jaxx bent down behind the doorway, waited, then turned back in and fired again. Balford retaliated, and Spekly took the opportunity to run up next to the doorframe. When Jaxx leaned around to take a shot, Spekly kicked the gun from his hand then attacked Jaxx. They fell onto the wet floor, both thoroughly soaked by the sprinklers, and wrestled for the upper hand.  
  
"Fuck, Spekly, what the hell are you doing?!" Jaxx shouted before nearly choking on his spit as he was punched hard.  
  
"Trying to get my fair share of money, you stupid shit!"  
  
Balford slid into the hallway and aimed for the large black Major, and fired. The bullet went into the ceiling as another body slammed into Balford, making them fall into a mass of limbs atop the other two men. After minutes of struggling, Balford and Spekly managed to get to their feet and both raced down the hall.  
  
Jaxx quickly stood and helped Johnny. "Thanks, man," he breathed in response to the close call with Balford's gun.  
  
"Forget about it." Johnny dismissed the comment, as he charged the two retreating figures, Jaxx no more than a step behind. "Was that Spekly fighting you?" Johnny called behind him.  
  
"Yeah! Appears he's been on their side all along!"  
  
"The bomb at my house, the murder in the police station. That was all him?"  
  
"I'd say he's the best suspect. He was closest to us, and I'm betting the most flexible in the group."  
  
"Fuck, man. First Balford, then Nise, and now Spekly. Whatever happened to loyalty between friends?"  
  
"Hey, I'm still here, ain't I?" Turning various corners in the large building, the two fighters found themselves outside, a two level dock before them, the ocean rolling in the distance, and ominous clouds of black curling in from the shore.  
  
"Where-" Jaxx began to question, when he spotted one man running toward the parking lot. A moment later, he realized it was Spekly. "Found our rat."  
  
"And I got Balford." Johnny shot off in the direction of the loading area on the top dock, and Jaxx made his way after the former FBI agent.  
  
  
  
His feet pounding on the wood matched the pounding in his heart as he turned off of the small wooden incline onto the old dock. Around him were crates of fishing tools, nets, and pieces of trash lying about. He cautiously walked around, looking for anything out of place. When he reached the banister at the end of the dock, Johnny walked over and looked down the ladder to see if Balford had climbed down to a boat or the lower dock. Finding nothing, he began to turn away when a pair of feet came up from below and hit him solidly in the stomach. Johnny stumbled back as Balford came up from under the dock where he had been hiding.  
  
"Care to dance, little boy?" Balford taunted as Johnny got to his feet.  
  
Not wasting a moment on pleasantries, Johnny swung a hook. Balford blocked. He tried a snap kick. Balford blocked again. So Cage tried a series of uppercuts, cross punches, knee jabs, and arm locks. But it was to no avail. Balford blocked everything, and when Johnny finished his attempted combo, Balford hit back ten fold. His pace increasing, Balford retaliated with his won series of attacks. Johnny was familiar with the first few, matching block for block with the traitor's left hook right uppercut right knee jab spinning roundhouse that was his trademark combination. Then things changed, and Balford suddenly flipped over his head, and as Johnny turned, a swift front kick slammed into his jaw. Then a punch to his stomach, followed by a left cross, a right hook, and jumping back fist sent Johnny reeling. Balford's high sidekick crashed through the door to the lighthouse as Johnny ducked into a roll and sprang into a handstand before flipping onto his feet, spinning, and smashing his heel into Balford's upper cheek. He flipped sideways, landed roughly on his knees, and Johnny moved in. Balford spun onto his back and swept Johnny. Both flipped onto their feet, charged, and they met in the air with a sidekick that caused them to crash onto the deck together, their combined weight causing the wood to bend and split beneath them.  
  
In unison, they shared equal looks of shock before they fell. "Shit!" Below them was a series of crates and fishnets that painfully broke their fall. Balford was the first to get up, and he looked around for his opponent. He turned over boxes and shoved broken pieces away, but Johnny was gone. Then Balford turned, and feet connected solidly with his chest, knocking him backwards as Johnny dropped from above.  
  
"Oof!" Balford stumbled back into the railing and barely managed to dodge the drop kick Johnny brought down on the wood, splintering it to bits in a moment. Balford countered with a side jab into Johnny's stomach, grabbed the younger man's head, and flipped him onto the hard deck. Johnny cried out as he fell, then shifted his weight and managed to toss Balford over him. Balford rolled, stood, and jump kicked at Johnny. Johnny dodged, and brought up a front kick that was blocked and another sidekick that connected with Balford's shoulder. Balford countered by throwing a spinning punch to Johnny's neck causing him to stagger back, and Balford took the opportunity to run and leap into a flying sidekick. Johnny didn't have time to block, and he was pushed back through the wooden railing to the next deck below.  
  
"Augh!" Johnny coughed and rolled onto his elbows and knees, trying to regain his breath. There was a shout from above, and Balford jumped next to Johnny, landed in a crouch, and swiftly brought his right elbow onto the base of Johnny's back. He screamed and collapsed. Balford stood, grinning cruelly.  
  
"Stupid boy. Did you really think you could out do me?" He picked Johnny up by the collar of his torn black satin shirt, lifted him over his head, and tossed him into a nearby electrical pole. Johnny hit it and fell, groaning as blood dripped from his bit tongue. Through blurry eyes, Johnny looked up and noticed a coil of rope with a knot that was attached to an anchor above, keeping it from swinging down into the dock and creating a large hole. Balford strolled over arrogantly, and squatted before the bruised combatant.  
  
"You should have stayed out of it, buddy. Overtime, we could have been partners in arms, and in money. You would have finally received the fame you've been dying for." Balford chuckled without humor.  
  
"Right, that would have lasted until the FBI and Special Forces came and bombed the shit out of you and your fucked up organization," Johnny hissed. Carefully, he moved his arm in a gesture so as to go undetected by Balford as he reached for the rope. A gasp escaped him as Balford seized his neck and began to squeeze.  
  
"I've never choked anyone to death. Shot, yes. Stabbed, when necessary. But strangulation has always been something I've wanted to do. It's an art form, like all other types of killing. And this is going to be quite enjoyable… well, for me, at least." Odd sounds began to escape Cage's throat as he began to suffocate under Balford's tightening grip, and his hand jerked wildly as his fingers came closer and closer to the rope.  
  
"No…" Johnny sputtered as his eyes began to blacken on the edges. Then his fingers clasped around the rope, and he pulled the soggy straw into his palm. A small smile passed over his lips, and with a last burst of strength, he yanked. The knot came loose, a swift rush of air sounded in the rain, and suddenly the anchor was flying down toward the dock. Balford barely had time to blink before it hit him, sending him flying into the air as the large steel object crashed through the wood into the raging sea below. Johnny rolled away as the dock began to groan and shift, and the part that was once under him fell into the waters. Careful not to injure himself more, Johnny rose to his knees, and looked for his enemy. The older actor was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Blasted back to hell, I hope." Gunfire erupted from the parking lot, and Johnny looked over to see Jaxx and Spekly running at each other, guns firing wildly into the night. For a moment, he watched the fight between the two, watched as their military training challenged each other to the limit. Then stars burst in front of him, and he fell to his knees.  
  
"You fuck!"  
  
Johnny grunted as he was hit again from behind, and he rolled to the side to avoid another blow to his head. "I'll kill you, you bastard!" The iron rod slammed down again, nearly severing Johnny's ear. Thinking quickly he spread his legs under Balford, causing the bloodied man to fall into a painful straddle that left him stunned. Johnny grabbed the rod, and threw it down on Balford. He stopped Johnny, and they struggled. As they tossed each other from side to side, Balford finally got the upper hand and head butted Johnny back onto the dock. Swiftly, he jumped to his feet, and was knocked away as the rod cracked into his jaw, followed by an inside crescent kick and a low roundhouse to the back of his knees. Again, Johnny was grounded. Balford pounced, and brought the bar down again and again, spilling Johnny's blood from multiple wounds on his face and neck.  
  
"Get…" Johnny breathed through his teeth, repositioned himself, and brought his knee up to the joint of Balford's legs. "…OFF!" Balford howled, Johnny flipped him, and the two changed positions, with Johnny on top. He took the advantage like a lifeline. Blow after blow landed, severing Balford's skin with each connecting hit. Soon, his face was broken and bleeding to where it was undistinguishable. He twitched a few times then fell still.  
  
"Stay down this time, you prick," Johnny panted. Then he screamed. The knife embedded in his side sent waves of pain coursing through him, and Balford laughed maniacally as he began to turn the knife, increasing the pain.  
  
"How does that feel, baby? And I thought you said you enjoyed a little bit of pain in your relationships!" Balford yanked the blade out, slicing more of the wound open, before slashing the blade across Johnny's face. He rolled off of Balford, one hand holding his side, as the other pushed himself up. A few steps away, Balford was swaying unsteadily while the knife in his hand spun like the roulette wheel of life, threatening death at any moment.  
  
"Goddamn… don't you… ever… quit?" Johnny's chest puffed and rivers of blood flowed down his face and arms into the folds of his soaked clothes.  
  
"Not until I get what I want."  
  
"And… that is?"  
  
"Money, power, a beautiful woman at my side, who I can rape and hurt whenever I'm pissed." Johnny's face contorted in disgust. How could he ever have liked this man? "I thought Sonya would have fallen into the part nicely. Talk about your perfect woman. Perfect legs. Nice ass. Too spirited for my taste, though." A sick smile revealed blood covered teeth. "Glad I have my cheatin' FBI agent to fix that." Johnny's breath caught.  
  
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"A good fighter, yes. A smart fighter, no." Balford laughed. "Danny's been wanting a piece of her for a while. And he has no problem being rougher with the ladies. Besides, he's had experience with… breaking them in." Everything around Johnny stopped. "I left him with her not more than an hour ago, and from the screams I heard when I was walking out… well… let's just say he's rather to the point in such delicate situations."  
  
"No… NO! YOU LIE!"  
  
Balford laughed. "Do I?" White. Everything was white. And it burned. It seared his flesh to the point of insanity. Then it was red. The rain was of blood, the sea rolled in currents of rouge, and Balford was the only way out. A scream of ungodly nature silenced the thunder above, and Johnny charged. His only feeling: hate. His only desire: to kill Richard Balford.  
  
From that point on, everything for Johnny was a blur. He couldn't remember what his moves were, when he disarmed Balford of his knife, or how he managed to continue blocking through his increasing fatigue, but he and Balford continued fighting blow for blow. Evenly matched, and both to proud to give in, the match continued until somehow Johnny stumbled. He landed on his behind and found himself to weak to stand. All his energy had been depleted; the fire to live had suddenly gone from his veins. And as much as he had wanted to stand up and fight, he could do nothing more than stare mutely at the man stalking him, murder evident in his eyes.  
  
"Finally, the great Johnny Cage has met his match. Perhaps you should have called out sick and let your stunt doubles do the work, as usual," Balford stated evenly. "I'm sure they would have lasted much longer." Balford took a step back, and fell into a strange meditative stance. His hands joined together at his side, the air suddenly sizzling with unseen energy. Out of thin air, a blue ball of electricity appear, and as it began to pulse to Balford's heartbeat, Johnny realized what exactly was headed his way. A special finishing attack Balford had learned from a Japanese street fighter.  
  
But Johnny's mind wasn't focused on the orb of energy Balford was creating or the words that usually hurt him so. Instead, it was on a little round object hanging from Balford's belt. Something he hadn't noticed before. And something, he realized with a shock, that could end this fight in a heartbeat. Just like it ended his fight with Scorpion.  
  
Balford's hand closed together, his body became taut with control, and with a roar command a blue fireball shot from his hands, streaming through the air at the younger fighter. And it crashed into the base of the factory building twenty feet away, making Balford's face frown in a split second of conclusion when he suddenly felt something dig into his gut, making his eyes bulge and his mouth fall open as it attempted to pull in the air that was so suddenly dispersed. At that moment, Johnny pulled the pin and forced the small grenade inside Balford's mouth, forced his mouth closed, then punched him right underneath his nose combined with an uppercut to the chin. The sudden force of both blows made Balford swallow the large object, and he stumbled and gagged as it lodged in his throat. Some last bit of logic in his brain made Balford reach out and use a numbing death grip on Johnny's arm as another hand squeezed the younger man's neck, keeping him in close enough proximity as to blow them both to kingdom come.  
  
Johnny struggled to free his arm, but as the seconds ticked by, a dread feeling in the pit of his stomach swelled into doubt. Absently, he thought to himself, this sort of stuff never happens in the movies.  
  
And then there was a small, sharp shout, shocking both men as a little body was knocking into Balford's side with a small but surprisingly powerful sidekick. And then Balford was pin wheeling backwards and fell over the side of the deck. Johnny walked to the rim to see him hanging below. He grinned suddenly as an old line came back to him.  
  
"This is where you fall down."  
  
And Balford did just that, falling a few feet before his body pulled apart in a thousand different directions. The limbs tumbled and splashed into the waves, in moments disappearing into the rolling salt water and washing out to sea.  
  
A soft hand enveloped his, making him look down at the angelic face that was tear streaked but smiling.  
  
"Thanks for those few karate lessons, John-san."  
  
  
  
The wood sprayed in bursts of dust and splinters that rained onto the crouched figure. When the firing ended, he turned and shot three rounds that knocked two crates down, their contents crashing to the wet dock as they shattered with the wood.  
  
"Fuck!" Out from his hiding place, Spekly dove into the freezing rain, rolled on the deck, and fired again. Jaxx shot also, and both men took a wound that knocked them down.  
  
"This isn't going well," Jaxx mumbled as he pressed his hand to his hip. Only a nick. Good.  
  
"Hey, Jaxx!" A pause. "Major!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You know, I'm thinking-"  
  
"Oh, that's a first."  
  
"-that maybe we should lose the weapons, and try to kill each other with our bare hands. You know, mortal combat."  
  
Jaxx smiled as he thought of the tournament Sonya and Johnny tried to convince him actually happened.  
  
"Ya know, like civilized people?"  
  
Jaxx tucked his barreta into his belt and reached for his desert eagle, a little gift he got from a friend in England. "Well, Danny, there's only one problem with that."  
  
"Yeah?" Spekly shouted back.  
  
"I don't trust you." Jaxx spun out from behind the crate, aimed for the cable wire over head, and fired. It came loose and tumbled about on the wet ground, sparks flying in a dozen directions. With the sudden distraction and the increased bursts of light, Jaxx spotted Spekly and charged him.  
  
They tackled to the cement. Sliding for a few feet from the wet surface, they stopped in a muddle of limbs, both struggling to get on top. It wasn't until Jaxx landed a solid punch across Spekly's chin that he finally managed to get the advantage. He pressed the heel of his hand down into Spekly's throat, making him gag, but Spekly used a scissor kick to hit Jaxx in the head twice, making him tumble over Spekly.  
  
Before he could rise to his knees, Spekly kicked him in the ribs twice, then grabbed his head and cracked it against the pavement. Jaxx shuddered and went still.  
  
"About… fucking… time," Spekly panted.  
  
And then Jaxx shifted, and groaned as he spun his body around, sweeping Spekly. Putting one leg under his opponent's head, he lifted the second leg high in the air and brought it down on Spekly's chest, once, twice, three times hard when a satisfying crack reached Jaxx's ears.  
  
Spekly groaned loudly and seized Jaxx's leg, hugged it to his body, and rolled backwards, twisting Jaxx into an awkward angle on his side. Then he grabbed the major's ankle and yanked it hand in the wrong direction, making it break. He grinned at Jaxx's shout of pain before clamoring to his feet and running off into the parking lot.  
  
"You bastard!" Jaxx hissed and also stood, wobbling as he tried to keep his weight focused only on his left foot. Just as his balance became steady, two bright lights began to blind him, and a large truck came racing down the parking lot towards him.  
  
The van swerved out of control as the unconscious driver fell heavily upon the steering wheel, his foot pressed down on the gas pedal. Increasing in speed, the car flew out of the parking lot, onto the dock, and through the wood railing, making it topple down into the dock's junkyard of scrap metal. As Spekly came awake, not even the breath to scream came fast enough as the car plunged down upon a large vertical piece of metal, that ripped through the engine and plunged right into Spekly's body, slicing it in half. Through the windshield his upper body fell down onto the scraps, intestines dripping around the face frozen in fear and death.  
  
Up above, Jaxx looked down upon the wreckage in silence. In the darkness of the gory moment, only one strange and unknown thought crossed his mind.  
  
"Fatality."  
  
  
  
The trigger pulled back and Sonya grunted when the gun went off. The hammer clicked back, and nothing happened. The gun was empty.  
  
"Bitch!" Sonya grabbed Kyoufu's wrist and twisted the gun out of her hand, before kicking her knees out and bringing the Australian down onto the deck with her. Slaps and punches resounded through the night sky, becoming dulled by the low rumbling overhead. Sonya threw an uppercut that lifted Kyoufu off the ground and she landed a few feet back. With quick reflexes she rolled onto her feet, threw her arms out behind her, and completed three full back handsprings before landing a good ten feet from Sonya. Both were panting lightly.  
  
"What are you running away for?" Sonya taunted. As soon as the words passed her lips, there was blur of a figure as Kyoufu ran at her with incredible speed, and Sonya barely managed to get out of the path of the dark skinned warrior. Not stopping as she ran at the side of the cabin, Kyoufu jumped in the air, put her feet out, let her knees bend as the momentum carried her closer to the wall, then she pushed off and executed a flip and twist in midair. Pushing one leg with the twist, she swung her leg in a wide arc that nearly severed Sonya's head, and she tumbled to the wet deck with a loud crunch as her right shoulder landed on a wooden crate. As it splintered and broke, various weapons and explosives slid out into the rain.  
  
Through the sudden pain flashing behind her eyes, Sonya managed to grab the closest gun, a colt .45, and she fired at her opponent. Kyoufu dodged around behind a stairwell as Sonya shot off three rounds. It wasn't until she held her fire when she realized how perfect Kyoufu's place of refuge was for taking the gang leader out. Right next to the stairwell was a small sailboat hanging from suspension cables, obviously having been in the process of being loaded on the ship. Her sharp hearing picked up a click, and then Kyoufu was running sideways, a gun of her own smoking from the exploding bullets. Sonya lifted her arm and shot out the ropes holding up the sail, and it fell to the deck in a heavy fluff of material, trapping Kyoufu underneath. Sonya wasted no time in getting to her feet and charging the writhing figure, who fired off four more bullets before the clip emptied.  
  
Sonya hit Kyoufu with as much force as she could gather, not halting in her charge and keeping as much traction on the wet surface as possible. Sonya landed lightly on her feet after performing a forward handspring, while Kyoufu screamed various curses in multiple languages as she tried to find her way out from under the heavy cloth. A kick to the ribs, another to the head, Sonya soon lost track of how many times she had hit her opponent. As Sonya went in for a finishing axe kick, there was a loud rip and slash as a large knife cut through the material. Sonya jumped back in time to miss the cut that could have severed her leg. Suddenly Kyoufu was out from under the sheet, her face contorted in rage, and Sonya was blocking again.  
  
"Goddamn you people!" the blonde lieutenant swore loudly as she almost lost a hand to the rapidly slashing blade. "Can't you think up weapons to use other than these fucking bloody knives?!"  
  
"I'll enjoy slitting your throat like Kano did to your partner!"  
  
And that was the last straw for Sonya. As if it wasn't enough that this woman aided in the killing of numerous innocents, orphaned and kidnapped a child, tried to steal her boyfriend, and had to be her worst enemy's sister, now she had to go and bring up her dead partner. So she used that new found fury to grab Kyoufu's arm, snap her wrist, grab the felled dagger, and slash up that pretty Aussie face to where she knew stitches couldn't even make the skin stay together. And listening to the girl's screams of pure hatred wasn't half bad either. Sonya then pressed her foot roughly into the woman's stomach, making her stumble back. The knife disappeared over the side.  
  
"My face…" Kyoufu nearly sobbed.  
  
"Maybe now you can get an entire face plate, considering that style seems to run in the family."  
  
Kyoufu screamed unintelligibly and ran at Sonya, hell bent on homicide.  
  
Not flinching in fear and without hesitation, Sonya went on her palms in a hand stand, wrapped her legs around Kyoufu's neck, and used the Australian's momentum to flip her over the side into the cold waves below.  
  
For a moment, Sonya watched her struggle and sputter in the rolling tide and realized absently that the rain had stopped. It then became noticed that the fighter was being pulled back toward the ship, and with a final scream she was pulled under the waves. Sonya realized the propellers were on and rotating rapidly in the blue depths. But instead of saying condolences, only one phrase came to her mind.  
  
"Flawless victory." 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Well, this is the end, and I would just like to remind the kind public who actually put up with my faulty storyline that most of the characters (like the heroes) are not mine, sad but true.  
  
I want to thank those who have helped me continue to write this, though I didn't really want to because I completely messed up the storyline, but I liked the ending when I wrote it, so I knew I just had to finish it. And for those who have stuck with me through this odd story, thanks for your comments and compliments. I know that if I have pleased only one person, my purpose for writing this fic has been accomplished, and I just hope your opinion of my story won't change once you read this chapter. Again, thanks for everything, guys.  
  
And to Chibi Sonya: You may not want to read this chapter. :o)  
  
Limping slightly as sweat ran into her eyes, Sonya walked unsteadily toward her friend and partner. He was bleeding from multiple lacerations, but he would live. Through blood covered teeth, Jaxx smiled at her.  
  
"Hey, partner, how ya holding up?"  
  
"I'll live, Lieutenant. Thanks for your concern." He held up his hand in a thumbs up gesture, then opened his hand. Sonya clasped it firmly, and they shared a look of relief and finality. They both won their fights. Sonya's face fell into a frown as she felt cold metal pressed into her other hand. Jaxx was giving her a gun.  
  
"In case we run into any other gang members hiding out around here."  
  
She nodded and placed the gun in her belt. "Where's Johnny?" Jaxx closed his eyes and laid his head down on the wet concrete.  
  
"Last I saw, he was kicking Balford's ass into the next zip code. Over there, on the dock." Sonya turned her head, and in the distance, she could see a figure walking towards them. Slowly she reached for her gun before standing and approaching him. As he came closer, she could make out the form of a smaller being upon his shoulder. Sonya smiled and laughed with relief as they came into view.  
  
"Sonya-san!" Kaoru wiggled out of Johnny's arms and ran toward Sonya, who fell to her knees and let the little girl plow into her. They clung to each other in love and support. Upon her shoulder was a strong hand of comfort. Sonya looked into Johnny's compassionate eyes as she whispered to him.  
  
"Thank you." For everything they accomplished, for every goal they achieved, for saving the life of a child that made them feel as complete as a family. For saving themselves… Kaoru pulled away and smiled at Sonya.  
  
"Sonya-san, where's Jaxx-sama?" Sonya brushed the little girl's bangs aside and wiped away a tad of blood from a knick on her brow.  
  
"He's resting until the ambulances show up."  
  
"Like I'd ever be laying down on the job."  
  
Kaoru yelled and ran at the tall black man. He lifted her up and swung her about.  
  
"Ah, my little munchkin doll face!" Sonya watched the affection display, surprised that Jaxx actually had that much of a soft side, when a hand caught her vision. Johnny helped her to her feet, remaining silent when he wrapped one arm about her waist as his opposite hand caressed her cheek, smoothing away the blood and dirt from her fight with Kyoufu, or Nise, or whoever the hell she was. She stared at him until he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead. At that point, Sonya lost it. With a quiet sob, she buried her head into his chest and gripped at him like a lifeline. He rocked her while he stroked her hair. His peripheral vision caught sight of Jaxx slipping away quietly with Kaoru to give them some privacy.  
  
"It's over," he whispered. "It's finally over."  
  
"I know," she cried. Her head remained down as she pulled away, and she cleared her throat before looking at him. "I know." A large smile split his face while he pulled her closer, his lips met hers, and the storm broke again. Upon the blissful couple it poured. Sonya laughed into the kiss, enjoying his presence, but mainly at the stupidity of the situation. Johnny pulled away and looked at her with questioning eyes.  
  
"Here we are, bleeding and exhausted after saving the world from an international drug gang bent on creating drug compelled super soldiers, making out, in the rain." Johnny laughed also.  
  
"Yeah, I'm telling you, can it get any worse?" he joked sarcastically. Sonya's smile faded slightly as her eyes became serious.  
  
"Dear God it better not," she groaned. Johnny laughed loudly for a moment, before returning his intense gaze on her. Slowly his smile disappeared as he leaned down to kiss her again. Her body jerked upward, and for a moment, time stopped. Johnny couldn't feel the rain. He couldn't hear the storm over head. His wounds stopped hurting, his head stopped pounding… his heart stopped beating. All he could see was Sonya's eyes, filled with shock, as blood trickled from her lips. And all he heard was a gunshot echoing in his ears.  
  
"Joh-Johnny-" Her body was becoming limp, and she began to slip.  
  
"Sonya," he whispered. "So-Sonya." His voice cracked as he slowly lowered them to the wet cement, and he gently laid her down beside him. "Son- Oh, God." Her face turned ashen, the blood flowing from her mouth and nose a bright contrast to the paleness of her skin. As he pulled his hands away from behind her back, he stared in horror at the deep crimson that covered his fingers. It hit him.  
  
"JAXX!" Frantically, but as gently as possible, Johnny rolled her onto her side. "No…" Her white top was stained red around her left shoulder blade, and with each beat of her heart, more blood squirted from the gunshot wound. A damaged artery. A bullet to the heart. A fatal wound. Johnny's breath was coming in ragged gasps, his mind was frozen, his jaw locked. 'What do I do. What do I do?' Sonya's body jerked as she went into an erratic coughing fit, and Johnny rolled her onto her back. Groans and incomprehensible words passed her bloody lips.  
  
"Oh, God. What do I do? No, dear God, please, no. Sonya, Sonya!" Johnny wrapped an arm under her head and lifted her up slightly. "Oh, please, no, please this isn't real," Johnny whispered over and over. "No, no, we won, we- Oh, God no."  
  
"I'm so-sorry." Johnny looked down at his gasping love as she whispered to him. "I-I'm sorry." Johnny's world was crumbling too quickly. With every painful breath she took, his heart bled as much as her own.  
  
"No, Sonya. No, you'll be fi-fine, I promise." Johnny put his forehead to hers. "I wo-won't let you-." Johnny tore his head up to the sky. "JAXX! JAXX, PLEASE! GOD, NO! No! No no no!" He pressed her head into his chest and wrapped his arms around her as his chin clenched above her. "No, God Sonya, you can't leave me here, don't leave me like this," he whispered into her hair.  
  
"I'll never-never leave… you." Pain surged through his veins; tears blurred his vision. The anguish was unbearable. He looked frantically about, trying to think of something, when he saw a body crawling toward him.  
  
"Nise…" Johnny's heart leapt to his throat when there was a flash off a gun in her hand. Slowly, she dragged herself to her feet as she used a fish cutter for support. It was then Johnny noticed that his ex-homicidal girlfriend was short a leg, the blood from the open gap leaving a trail of red upon the pavement. Her head fell toward the bleeding woman in his arms, and when she met his gaze, her bloody and broken face was lifted in a gruesome smile that only Satan could love.  
  
"An eye for an eye," she giggled deliriously. "Get it, my brother? An eye for an eye!" The deranged gang leader laughed hysterically into the pouring rain and growling thunder. Two more gunshots pierced the air and Johnny watched as his adversary flailed about while blood splattered across the deck. Her head was gone from her shoulders, and her body crumpled in a heap of blood and muscle. But Johnny's pain didn't die with the dangerous Australian beauty. He wanted to reattach her head to her body, revive her, and then kill her again. There was a clatter of metal, and Johnny looked down to see the steaming gun next to Sonya's pale hand. Her voice broke into his thoughts.  
  
"Do you trust me?" Johnny's head tilted down and he looked into Sonya's fading eyes. "Joh- trust m…" The distraught actor shook her as her eyes began to close.  
  
"Sonya, Sonya, please."  
  
"T-trust me?" Her eyes opened and held his with conviction as she repeated her question.  
  
"Yes, I trust you," he answered softly.  
  
"I'll never… leave…"  
  
"Johnny! God, no, SONYA!"  
  
"-Never leave- Johnny-"  
  
"SONYA-SAN!"  
  
"I'll never leave you." Her body went lax, and Johnny felt his spirit being torn away. Sobbing, he pulled her tightly to him and kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her closed eyes while Jaxx and Kaoru kneeled beside him. The little girl sobbed and Jaxx stared numbly. Sirens screeched nearby, and in moments the paramedics were running across the docks. Into the loud wailing sounds, Johnny let himself become detached, and he passed out into a welcome blanket of darkness.  
  
It's called a changeover. The movie goes on, and nobody in the audience has any idea…  
  
I heard a story once, a while back. It was about a time when all people had four legs and two heads. And then the gods threw down thunderbolts, and split everyone into two. Now everyone had two legs and one head. But the separation left both sides with a desperate yearning to be reunited. Because they both shared the same soul. And ever since then all people spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul. Stupid, foolish, romantic ideals, I know. And to think I got it off of Xena, the type of show with cheap moral lessons and family values. But did you ever wonder if maybe it was true? Did you ever believe that maybe there was someone else in the world who made you complete? Did you ever think that they were right there, in front of you, but you were too blind to notice? Is it possible to never meet that person that makes you whole? Could they die before you realize the truth? Could your soul die with theirs?  
  
I'm afraid. God, for the first time in my life, I'm actually afraid of living. What am I supposed to do when I have nothing to live for? Such a small and tender soul that quakes beside me. The soul for which you sacrificed yourself. And now, I have found strength there. You have stepped out of my life, to let another step in. You changed me in more ways than I thought possible… Now I'm going to use those changes to live again. You taught me who I really was, and what I can do with my life. You showed me the potential if I could just believe…  
  
Kaoru's grandparents were murdered a little after we took her under our care. Her life has been utterly devastated by the Devil's Destiny, but there's no more threat to her or any others. Again, thanks to your dedication. And now, I've taken her under my care. What can I say, Love, she's too special to let go of. Just like you. But I understand that I can't live in the past forever. Beside me she will stay, she's told me repeatedly, and I trust her. She is the rock in my ocean of sorrow, and she will support me until I can again stand on my own. You gave her that strength, I believe. She's not your child, yet so much of you seems to live inside of her. I can see your courage, I can feel your determination, and I know that Kaoru has a future brighter than I can imagine. I know you'll be the voice in her ear to help her do what's right.  
  
But will you be there for me, too? I need you now, and you said you'd always be here. Where are you? Are you smiling at me from the blossoming flowers that cover your grave? Are your tears apart of the rain that falls in tender sheets about me? Are your words of comfort drifting to me on the whispering wind? Something in me burns, while my heart palpitates. Is it your love? A hand squeezes mine. Is that your touch giving me the courage to continue? Kaoru's face is shining up at me, and I see you there. You're in her eyes. And you're pleading for me to live.  
  
I smile back at you, and a weight lifts from me. I trust you to be with me, forever, until we again meet. I carefully pull a single red rose from the array of flowers upon the seeping ground, and drops of rain roll off like the tears of a weeping mother. Kaoru's fingers wrap around the stem, and together we turn to leave. Her hand never leaves mine, and though my tears begin to burn more as I put my back to you, I know that with her there, you will always be there, too, just one step behind.  
  
  
  
  
  
That's the end, my wonderfully dedicated readers. Thanks for staying along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed the story, though I know it was lacking in some areas, and I hope you'll check out any new stories I put up soon. Take care. 


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